Last Dance
by Ryuumaru Kara
Summary: It's been several months since Keima started hunting Loose Souls, and in the blink of an eye, it was all over. The Goddesses were revived, Vintage and Satyr were defeated. Along the way, he made girls fall in love with him, and unwillingly broke their hearts. He confessed, and was rejected. The End. But what if it didn't end there? What if there was one more secret to be uncovered?
1. Chapter 1: Another

Maijima High.

The peaceful high school wherein the students, boy and girl alike, coexist in tranquil harmony. Where knowledge fountains endlessly and abundantly. Where-

"Nii-samaaaa!" A high pitched female voice echoed throughout the hallways of the school.

Wait, did I say peaceful?

Katsuragi Eri, the once demon now legitimate sister of a certain Otoshigami, ran throughout the somewhat wide hall in pursuit of her brother.

Finally convincing himself to pay attention to the source of the disturbance, he saved whatever game he was playing and returned his PFP to his pocket. He turned around to see his sister panting for air.

"What is it now?"

Said Katsuragi Keima. The infamous Otoshigami, who has conquered at least ten thousand game heroines, former buddy to the New Hell Demon Elucia De Rux Ima whom is now his sister Eri, and has conquered seventeen real girls, six of whom were hosts of the Goddesses from heaven.

"Uhu…." Eri poutfully replied. "That's so mean, Nii-samaaaa….."

Maybe it was the fact that she was his real sister now that he finds her expressions less annoying and somewhat cuter. She really hit the spot on Keima's guidelines on being a younger sister. It was still irritating for him time to time though.

Regaining her posture, Eri proceeded to deliver God-knows-what kind of report she supposedly had for her brother.

"Anyway, Nii-sama! Look!" Eri said proudly holding up a test paper, almost rubbing it on her brother's face, much to Keima's annoyance. "I passed the test! I got 51! It's all thanks to you, Nii-sama! Tee-hee!"

Eri continued to giggle while she cradled the piece of paper on her hands.

True, Keima did spare some time the last night to help his sister study for their exams, but mostly because she and their mother wouldn't stop bugging him, costing him a lot of game time. It finally occurred to him that teaching her would waste less time than trying to ignore his family. But how she just barely passed the exam despite Keima drilling the test questions he deduced into her brain was beyond the God of Conquests.

"Congratulations." Keima said to his sister with a perfect poker face.

Nonetheless this was more than enough for Eri. She leapt forward to hug his brother.

"You're the best, Nii-samaaa!"

Through unknown means, Keima somehow summoned ninja-like reflexes and lithely dodged his sister's affectionate display of… affection.

"Hehe, I missed…" Eri said while scratching the back of her head, causing some nerves to pop out in her brother's head.

 _"What am I, a target!?"_

Keima however, managed to quickly regain his composure and pulled out his PFP and resume his game. Eri spotted her brother walk away and quickly followed his trail.

"Nii-sama! Wait up!"

"Look Eri, I-" Keima's sentence was cut off when he felt a small body collide with his own. The force from the impact was sub-par at best however, and despite his frail physique, Keima managed to avoid falling down, unlike the person he bumped into.

"Hey, watch it!" A small and commanding but familiar voice demanded, instantly catching the attention the attention of the Katsuragi siblings.

Blonde hair.

Twin tails.

Ridiculously high heels.

Short.

Forehead.

Flat chest.

Piecing gaze.

There was no mistaking it. It was her.

"M-Mio…?" Keima inquired instinctively, a second before he remembered that her memory was erased by New Hell several months before.

"Ha?"

Mio stood up to gaze at the person who bumped into her. Slightly squinting her eyes, she took a closer look at the boy who just called her by her first name.

Aoyama Mio. The second real girl Keima conquered. The once wealthy daughter of the Aoyama company who is now currently working at a bakery with her mother.

"Am I supposed to know you, commoner?" She said to Keima. Not that she knew his name, or remembered for that matter.

"S-sorry."

Keima apologized to her and proceeded to walk past, his sister awkwardly bowed to the proud Aoyama before following his brother. Since she had no goddess, there was no way she'd remember him. So as to save gaming time, he elected to end the conversation right there.

"Oi, hold up for a moment!"

But it wasn't a unanimous vote.

"Answer my question! Do I know you? You look really familiar." Mio asked. No, it was more like she ordered him to answer her. A small blush appeared on her face after realizing what she just said.

"D-don't'get the wrong idea! I'm not interested in you or whatever alright! I was just… umm… curious! Yes, that's it! I'm just a little curious!" She basically shouted while pointing at him.

As expected of the tsundere type of character.

After another round of electing in his mind, Keima arrived to the conclusion that answering her question in the most simplest of ways will result in the least time consuming and painful outcome. He had no idea if she was still carrying that whip around after all.

"No, you don't. Excuse us,." Keima expressionlessly replied without even bothering to look at her and continued his walk.

And Eri awkwardly continued to follow him after fidgeting for a while.

Mio watched as Keima's figure increasingly got smaller as he and his sister walked away from her.

 _"Do I really not know him?"_

Mio thought to herself with a small blush when she was sure the boy was out of sight. There was no denying that he was very familiar. Something about him just made her feel comfortable in his presence, almost as if he was her lover in a past life. Reality quickly snapped back to her however, resulting in her face going up two shades of red because of what she had just imagined.

"W-what the hell am I thinking!?" She said while she stormed off the hallway, much to the confusion of the people watching them.

* * *

There was no possible way she'd remember him.

That's right. A goddess-less conquest should have no memory of him. They may have some memories of the conquest, but never of him.

Keima dismissed the thought and proceeded to go up his room and enter his paradise of games. His mother was away so that takes away one possible disturbance.

"Nii-samaaaa!"

There were still some left however.

Eri knocked on her brother's door, all the while calling for him and pleading for the door to be opened.

No way in hell he could play peacefully with her pounding on the door.

Keima stood up from his throne and opened his door, causing Eri to fall inside.

"What is it now, Eri?" Keima demanded with a hint of annoyance.

"Nii-sama… that hurt…" Eri pouted while rubbing the sore spot on her forehead.

Did he just think to himself earlier that she was less annoying? Well he certainly doubted that thought now.

"That aside, Nii-sama… Tenri-san came over!"

Eri stepped aside to reveal said girl standing behind her.

Keima's eyes slightly widened upon seeing his childhood friend. The closest girl he could call his best friend. She was the friend who loved him for who he was. The one who had the heart he broke through a ten-year old letter.

"T-Tenri… Good evening…" Keima awkwardly greeted her.

"Good evening, Keima-kun." She greeted back with the usual sincere smile she always had. To other people, it would never seem that she had a broken heart at the moment.

"Come in." Keima fully unlocked the door and let her inside, along with Eri. She led them to his bed and motioned for them to sit down.

"How are you?" Keima asked.

"Oh, I'm fine. Just the usual stuff, practicing magic tricks. And Diana is still well, Diana." She replied without a single tone of bitterness.

This was getting really hard for Keima. It was their first meeting since he confessed that they'll never be together, and worse, he didn't even do it personally.

If there was some way he can make it up to her then he'll gladly do it.

"Um, I'll go out for a while…" Eri excused herself before exiting the room.

Keima thought that she finally learned how to read the mood, but in reality, she just couldn't take the awkward atmosphere.

"So, what did you come for?"

Keima tried to sound normal, but unbeknownst to Tenri, he was trying to hold back all the guilt he was feeling.

"Oh, well, Diana wanted to talk to you. She said it was very urgent."

"I see."

So Tenri didn't come to talk to him after all. She never seemed the type to harbor grudges but what he did was unforgivable so it wouldn't surprise him if she did.

In the split second that Keima entered a depressed state, Tenri's body glowed orange as a halo appeared on her head and wings sprouted from her back. She opened her eyes to reveal red irises, confirming that it was now Diana in control.

"Hello, Katsuragi-san." Diana greeted in her usual calm tone.

"Diana…" Keima nonchalantly acknowledged the Tactician Goddess, much to her annoyance.

"What's with the sudden change in tone!? Anyway, I've come for a very urgent matter."

"So it seems…"

Keima was really depressed at that point. Seeing Diana now just made it worse for him. And to top it off, she and Tenri weren't the only ones he hurt. He was beginning to doubt if he really did make the right decision.

"Before that, are you alright? You look like a mess." Diana asked him, obviously concerned for his well being.

The Goddess did have feelings for the God of Conquests, but she tried not to sound too obvious. Seeing as Keima had no intention to answer, she continued her inquiry.

"Did it have something to do with that Chihiro girl? I wouldn't forgive her if she hurt Tenri's fiancé."

"Fiance? I told you, I… can't be with Tenri…" Keima replied, somewhat annoyed.

Now it really hit him hard.

If he wasn't depressed earlier then he certainly was now.

"Please, let's just get to the main topic." Keima requested.

"Well all right." Diana agreed to Keima's request and corrected her posture.

"It seems… there is one more Goddess in this world."

* * *

 **Hi guys. So this is my first KamiNomi story and seeing the lack of Mio fics here, I decided to make one. Honestly, I still don't have a concrete idea as to what plot this story will have, so I'm really open to suggestions. So please review if you have time, alright? See ya.**


	2. Chapter 2: The Seventh

**Hey guys, it's me again. And here's the 2nd chapter of Last Dance! Well, I updated quite fast if I may say so myself, since I already had this chapter written when I published the first one, and since I had free time, I was all "Why not?".**

* * *

So, let me get this straight…

First, I became New Hell's taskboy, forced to conquer REAL girls. Then I had to revive the Goddesses. Six of them. By conquering their hosts no less. Played a part in the defeat of Vintage and even Satyr and I also probably saved the world. If this world were to follow game logic, then I deserve a well earned rest, no? So tell me, what the hell do you mean by-

"There's one more Goddess!?"

Keima reacted to Diana's statement in a rather unrefined way, almost as if she just said the country banned him from playing games. The Goddess was shocked enough that she moved back a few inches.

"Ermm… yes. Well, according to our investigations at least." Diana admitted.

One could say that Keima didn't take that statement well. By this point, he already knows that the task of finding said Goddess and reviving her would inevitably fall unto him. Still, he was holding on the tiny piece of hope he had left of a peaceful life of playing games. But since it was abysmal, Keima decided to further inquire about this seventh Goddess. Information and how he utilized it was always his greatest weapon. Being motioned by the God of Conquests to continue, she nodded before resuming her report.

"I shall start then. Me and my sisters suspect that this Goddess may as well be hiding in this world as well, and to be precise, here in Maijima. One evidence being the slight improvement of the agriculture and greenery in this city."

"So she's a Goddess of… earth? Then that means…"

"Correct. I trust you are familiar with her name, no? I recall you and Minerva's host digging up some information about her."

Keima knew exactly what she was talking about. A while before the Mai High Festival, he asked for Shiori's assistance in finding information about this certain Goddess. He also promised her that he'll visit her next time. And he has yet to do so. Recalling such an event made him more stressed than he was earlier, but since this was an urgent matter, he can think about what to do later.

"… Is her name… Demeter?"

"That's half-correct. Demeter was the name she was given by the Greeks, much like how they named me Artemis. Her name is Ceres, Goddess of Harvest."

After trying to clearly remember that day's events, the book they read was about Greek goddesses. So there's a possibility that another Goddess is in Maijima. But some things didn't quite add up. First of all, why did Diana state earlier that there were only six of them? And why didn't she mention her at all until now? Could it be that Diana and her sisters didn't particularly get along with her?

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

Keima asked in the end. Since it was surely him who was going to find this Goddess, he may as well get as much information he can. And if he was going to involve himself with the real once more, there better be a good reason.

"Because… we thought she already perished a long time ago."

Wait, perished? Dead? How can a heavenly being die? These thoughts quickly filled Keima's mind as he processed the things Diana told him. Didn't the Jupiter Sisters fight against the old demons and sealed themselves along with the Weiss?

"It seems you are puzzled, so I shall enlighten you." Diana remarked, keen as ever. Keima grunted in annoyance at the unnecessary prideful touch she added to her sentence, but didn't object nonetheless. "Ceres was the first to fall during the Almage-machina, and so for that reason she didn't partake in the sealing with us. It was only then that we came up with the idea of sealing the Weiss."

Keima could clearly see the hint of sadness in Diana's eyes, due to losing someone important right before her eyes. Her small smile however, indicates that finding out about her possible survival took out a large amount of guilt and longing from her heart. Maybe it was the idea that they could have reunited earlier that's making her slightly tear up.

A few minutes ago, Keima was desperately planning how to refuse should Diana ask him to locate her sister, until an idea popped into his head. He said he'd do anything to make up to them, and now was his chance. Well it'll probably be disastrous for his gaming, but he already did have six pairs of Hosts and Goddesses. At this point, having one more really didn't matter. He stood up, fixed his glasses, cleared his throat.

"Alright, I'll find her for you."

Diana's eyes completely brightened up after hearing what Keima said. Despite his… faults, Diana acknowledged that Keima was a really great man. Enough that her host would fall in love with him. Enough that she herself would fall in love with him as well. The Goddess was unable to control herself from smiling and blushing, rather, she didn't care. Keima made her day.

"Thank you, Katsuragi-san. Allow me to show my gratitude by allowing you to passionately embrace Ten-"

Keima pretended not to hear that statement as a surge of orange light interrupted Diana. In her place reappeared Tenri, now blushing furiously while scolding Diana who was now in the mirror in place of Tenri's reflection. The Goddess was for an unexplained reason, ignoring Tenri by averting her eyes, very much like how a child would act when the mother is nagging.

"S-sorry about that, Keima-kun… please continue."

Keima could only nod as Diana once again took control, the luminescent blush still visible on her face. She probably just realized what she said. Sitting down once again, he began to think about who may be the host of Ceres.

"Let's start by finding out who her host is."

Just like the last time, Keima wrote the list of his previous conquests in the exact same fashion. The left most names belonging to the girls closest to him. The girls who had Goddesses were marked with a ring, while the most unlikely hosts were marked with a cross, along with Chihiro who was confirmed to not have a Goddess, and Akari who is a Demon. That leaves Mio, Kusunoki, and Minami.

However, during his conquest of Hinoki, he managed to confirm that Kusunoki wasn't a Goddess host. Proof being that although she retained memories of Keima becoming her pupil, the part where they go on their date and onwards was replaced with her going out with her other pupils instead.

That leaves Minami and Mio.

Minami, the kouhai in the swimming club, was one of Keima's "faster" conquests, hers lasting for only a few days. Keima however, knows that the love of a kouhai should not be underestimated. But after all that's said, it would be most unlikely that she holds any remaining memories at all according to Keima's investigation during the early stages of his Goddess hunt.

"Then that means…"

Diana always knew that Keima was a very intelligent and analytic person, to the point that she, the Tactician Goddess, would lose to him in a shogi game if she didn't go all out. She always acknowledged his talent, but she was still surprised nonetheless. Being able to deduce the identity of a possible Goddess host in a short amount of time is not something a normal talented person can do. However, his prideful act of adjusting his glasses and smirking still irritated her, but the Goddess just allowed him to continue.

"That's right. She's the most likely to be a Goddess host. Diana, please inform the other hosts and Goddesses and tell them to meet me in the rooftop of Mai High tomorrow at lunch. "

* * *

"I'm back."

Placing her bag behind the counter, she proceeded to the back room to change into her uniform. One has to admit, working in a bakery does have its quirks, but she never even thought of visiting one in her life. She was the daughter of the owner of a wealthy company after all. But because of a party she can't even clearly remember, she changed. Suddenly, working in a commoner's job didn't sound as disgraceful as she initially thought.

"Oh Mio, how's school?"

Her mother asked her with a sweet smile, like any other caring mother would.

"Geez mom, I'm not a kid anymore."

Mio complained about the "child" treatment she always gets, to which her mother apologized while giggling. The seventeen year old girl really did change. She didn't act like a prideful spoiled brat all the time now, although there were some occasions. Like when her driver, Morita, caught her staring at a certain "glasses-wearing, game-playing geek" and then told her mother. Mrs. Aoyama immediately went on full gear, rambling about how her daughter is becoming a lady now.

"I know what you're thinking, mother!"

Perhaps her grin and the small blush on her cheeks are what allowed her daughter to "perform ESP on her", as she would say. Not that she was remotely trying to hide it anyway.

After that, Mio and her mother continued to work at their little bakery, serving the customers their highly nutritious and carbohydrate-rich bread until night came. Closing the blinds and turning the store sign to "closed", Mio got out first so her mother can lock the store. It was time to go home, Morita was already waiting outside.

The day was the normal routine for Mio, except for the little encounter with the so-called Otamegane. There was no mistaking it, he was really familiar. She always felt a mixture of feelings when she at the very least, sees him, a mixture of nervousness, joy, and… irritation? Most would call this phenomenon "love", but why would she be in love with someone she hasn't even met before? Or did she?

Sighing for the first time during the day, she elected to ignore the thought. This did not, however, escape the ever observant eyes of her mother, who was smiling. It wasn't a playful or suggestive smile like before though, it was a sincere one. She was genuinely happy that her daughter is becoming interested in other people now.

"Let me guess, it's about that glasses-boy, isn't it?"

"How did you- N-no! It's not!"

To which her mother giggled. She almost caught her this time.

"Come on Mio, you know you can't hide it forever. Is he your boyfriend?"

"N-no! He d-definitely is not!"

She just loves teasing her daughter now. Before, she would just ignore everything she said, but ever since she started helping in the bakery, she became more pleasant and responsive. Shedding a tear of joy wouldn't be a bad thing, but since it would ruin the atmosphere, she decided against it.

Mrs. Aoyama pledged to herself that she'll let out those tears of joy when her daughter has finally found the man that'll give her happiness.

* * *

"Nii-sama! Dinner is ready!"

Eri cheerfully knocked on her brother's door for the nth time that day. And as per usual, Keima didn't respond at all. Luckily for the former demon, the door wasn't locked so she proceeded inside. Expecting to find her brother in his God of Conquests mode, Eri was surprised when she saw her brother writing some notes on a thick pad of paper. He hasn't done that since the last conquest. Maybe he was going to conquer a real girl for real? Eri watched her brother scribble down entire dialogues on the paper with a big grin plastered on her face. Who was he gonna conquer? Chihiro? Tenri? Ayumi?

Deciding that she couldn't resist the curiosity anymore, Eri quietly moved to her brother's location and tapped his shoulder, causing him to jump in surprise, despite being seated.

"What the- Eri, you bug demon! Don't startle me!"

Ignoring her brother's complaint, she zoomed in onto the lines her brother was writing and had to stop herself from snickering at the familiar cheesy lines. She contemplated on how Keima never said such sweet words to her. She really loves him, although in a sisterly way. But she quickly concluded that there's no point in being jealous. She was his brother now and nothing's going to change that. Right?

"Uwaa… Nii-sama… who are you going to conquer?"

Readjusting his glasses, Keima regained his composure and faced his sister.

"The seventh Goddess host."

Seventh? So that was what he and Diana was talking about earlier. Eri said in her firetruck-filled mind. Feeling left out again, she somehow regretted exiting the room just because it was awkward.

"But weren't there only six Goddesses?"

Eri instinctively asked after processing the words her brother said.

"Long story. Come to the rooftop tomorrow at lunch. Diana will explain."

So he couldn't be bothered to explain to his cute little sister? The firetrucks in Eri's mind were now spraying water everywhere wildly, representing her annoyance. After pouting for a while and mumbling something incomprehensible, Eri reverted to her serious mode. If sparkling eyes and giggling the signs of her being serious, then her fooling around mode would be a sight to behold.

"So, who's the host, Nii-sama?"

No harm in telling her, right? Not that she'll mess things up, which she always does. But Keima decided to have more trust in his sister. Who knows? She might turn out useful this time.

"It's Mio."

Eri was shocked. That's all Keima could say to describe the current state of his sister. She seriously didn't see it coming? Well he couldn't blame her for being the airhead she was. That's just what makes Eri, well, Eri. It didn't take long before she returned to being all giggly though.

"Wow, Nii-sama! That's a great coincidence, right? I mean, wasn't your meeting earlier some kind of sign? Then you've already did the first phase without even knowing!"

Yadda yadda yadda. That's how Keima perceived his sister's rambling. But she did have a point. It was almost as if it was an omen that he'll involve himself with Mio again. Really, if there was a Goddess of Chance Encounters, then Keima was sure she was messing around with him for laughs.

"So, Nii-sama… can I help? We'll be buddies on a mission once again!"

Eri cheered while pumping her fist into the air. If Keima was some other guy, then having a sister this cute would be the greatest thing that'll ever happen to him. But he was Keima. Although he wouldn't deny that Eri being his sister isn't a bad thing.

"Sure, I'll tell you what you need to do tomorrow."

Keima said while smiling. Keima was smiling. It was the greatest great day that's ever greatly happened in all the great days in the great Eri's great life. And for the second time that day, she leapt towards her brother to hug him while shouting "Nii-samaaaaaa!" complete with comical tears of happiness. And once more, Keima focused his chakra(?) on his feet to move away from his sister's trajectory.

"Uwaa…. I missed again…"

Eri said once again while scratching the back of her head. Keima could only put his palm onto his face as he sighed because of the new status he had as a target.

"Oi, you two! The food's getting cold! If you don't come down this second, I will go up there and drag you down here!"

The Katsuragi siblings felt cold sweat run down their spines as they heard the ear-piercing yell of their mother. Wasting no time dwindling, they immediately raced down the stairs to appease to their mother, now in her biker-gangster mode, the scariest demon ever to have been born during the Almage-machina.

That's right, before the God of Conquests and Satyr's secret weapon of destruction was the most terrifying creature to ever walk the Earth.

And her name was Katsuragi Mari.

* * *

 **Although I'm coming up with quite a lot of concepts for as to what's going to happen next, I still haven't decided yet, so next update will probably take a while. Anyways, thanks for the previous reviews guys, and I hope there'll be more in the future! I'm looking forward to some more ideas and suggestions. See ya.**


	3. Chapter 3: Mission Start

**Hey all, I'm back with another chapter! Just wanted to say thanks for the reviews and suggestions. It's really helping me out. Besides that, I don't really know what else to say, so sorry about that. Anyway, here's chapter 3!**

* * *

"Seeing that everyone's here, I do believe we can now start today's meeting."

Keima stated in front of everyone present like how a corporate boss would. As he requested, all the Goddess hosts were present, with their respective Goddesses appearing on some hand mirrors Keima distributed earlier sans Vulcan, who was present through Luna. Even Kanon was present. How that happened, the others might never know. And of course, Eri was also present. With all that excitement she had from her brother telling her that she can help him, there was no possible way she'll not attend.

The God of Conquests started looking around a little, before noticing that a certain violet-haired demon was absent. Keima just shrugged it off after a while. Haqua must be busy with some stuff in New Hell.

"Since Diana already told us about the possibility that Ceres is hiding amongst your… conquered girls… I assume you already have a plan?"

The oldest of the Jupiter Sisters, Vulcan initiated the first topic. Keima readjusted his glasses and smirked. Was she seriously asking if THE God of Conquests already had a plan? If that was the case, then she was absolutely wrong. Keima didn't have a plan. He had numerous plans. The prideful act caused some nerves to pop within the Goddess however, and Tsukiyo ultimately had to stop her from hurling a bench at Keima.

"So, Nii-sama, what are your plans?"

Optimistic Eri asked her brother. She was really eager to finally go on a "mission" with her buddy again. Although because of her over excitement, Keima was starting to doubt his decision to let her help now. Clearing his throat, Keima faced the girls and prepared to elaborate on his plans.

"Alright. Plan A goes like this: I will thoroughly confirm whether or not Minami or Kusunoki are hosts. Like I told Diana yesterday, these two are unlikely to hold Ceres, simply because of the fact that they possess the least clear memories of me. Although Kusunoki remembers the time I became her student, she does not have any recollection of the actual conquest."

"Then that means Kasuga-senpai is out of the list?"

"Yes, that's right Ayumi. Now please don't interrupt me. Continuing, Minami on the other hand does not remember me at all. So she's also "out". That means I will go with the default target. Meaning, I will start conquering the girl who I believe is the most likely host. Reason being, I met her recently and she seems to have some memories of me."

"And that girl would be?"

Everyone said in unison, except Ayumi, who was mumbling about how she wants to kick the Otamega out of the planet, Mercury, who was "there, there"-ing her host, and Eri, Tenri and Diana, who already knew. Slightly building a suspenseful atmosphere, Keima paused for a while before continuing.

"Aoyama Mio."

Everyone was rather surprised, except for the three who already knew, but moreso Tsukiyo, who was Mio's classmate, and even moreso Yui, one of her select childhood friends.

"Mio? Darling, are you sure?"

Yui instinctively asked the question everyone else was itching to. Expecting a quick "Of course I am" from Keima, the girls found his silence disturbing. Did something happen without their knowledge? Definitely

"No. I am not."

And for the first time in their lives, Goddess, human, and former demon alike, heard those words coming from the always oh so sure Katsuragi Keima. Apollo was shocked so much that she was literally attempting to "fix" her ears to make sure she heard right, while Kanon was scolding her for acting like a child.

"What do you mean? Explain yourself."

And the oldest of the Jupiter Sisters spoke up once again.

"I was planning to. As I was saying, I am not entirely sure that Mio holds Ceres. What I am saying is that she _most likely_ does. Like how I explained to Haqua before, you Goddesses hid inside the conquered girls who are closest to me. I have already confirmed that theory when I reawakened all of you. Now those girls are Tenri, Ayumi, Kanon, Shiori, Yui, and Tsukiyo who are your hosts, and Chihiro who I already… confirmed to not be a host. That leaves Minami, Kusunoki and Mio."

The thought that Keima found them through the use of his self proclaimed theory somehow irritates the Goddesses, but since it wasn't their usual "fooling around" sessions, the thought was discarded.

"Strange, it isn't it? That in the thousands of girls who had loose souls, you Goddesses chose to hide within the girls that I have freed? Not mentioning the ones closest to me? Like I have said to Haqua before, again, perhaps I was chosen to be a buddy to revive you."

It was no secret that Keima was smart. But this was beyond smart. He was simply amazing to have come up with such a complicated web of logical conclusions. Apollo even asked if he had a computer for a brain, a question which the God of Conquests did not entertain, much to her dismay.

"Gloating aside, what _is_ the plan?"

Diana asked. Well she had to. Her and Minerva's host, and Minerva herself, opted to remain quiet and just listen to what everyone else had to say. If only her host was more assertive, then it's likely that she and Keima are together now, which means that she'll also be doing romantic things wit- Diana's mind was getting off track now.

"Okay, here are the details. Eri, you will accompany me in rechecking whether or not Minami or Kusunoki are hosts. There's the possibility that since Ceres might have just recently awakened, their memories might also resurface now. "

"Hai, Nii-sama!"

Oh how Eri missed saying that.

"As for Mio, I'll need help from Yui and Tsukiyo. You are her classmates, right? You can just ask her about the "glasses-wearing gamer" and report to me about her responses. Until I am not perfectly sure who the host is, then I will not start the conquest. I will not repeat my mistake."

"Alright, Darling! I won't fail you!"

And with that, Yui was gone. Ayumi even complimented about how she's a decent runner. Keima sighed, he hasn't even finished. Well, at least she was enthusiastic about this. Facing Tsukiyo, he began to continue his instructions.

"As I was saying, ask her about me, but don't ask too much nor too frequently. If she suspects that something is up then things'll be harder. Tsukiyo, I don't know if you're friends with her, but can I count on you with this?"

"Of cou-"

"Absolutely not!"

To be frank, nobody quite expected that. But Keima suspected that something was amiss. Vulcan being quiet for an extended amount of time was never a good sign.

"Why would Tsukiyo help you… womanize once more? To New Hell with your plans!"

Now it was Keima's turn to be irritated. He was going to find a fellow Goddess, for their sake no less! Vulcan(Luna) and Keima glared at each other like two wild animals. The dark aura they were emitting freaked out the other girls, even Ayumi gulped in surprise at the sudden development.

"Listen, before you call me a womanizer, keep in mind that I'm doing this for you Goddesses! There's absolutely no benefit for me should I find and reawaken Ceres! Remember that before spouting selfish words!"

He had a point. No, he was right. After Vulcan thought about it more clearly, Keima really did have nothing to gain with this. Realizing her defeat, Luna withdrew from the glare-off and floated back into Tsukiyo's arms.

"Tsk. Do what you want, just don't involve Tsukiyo."

And with that statement, Luna returned to being a regular doll once again, allowing Keima to finally let his guard down. It was really not his day to dodge flying benches. She was a really selfish one, Keima thought. This is what he means when he says that real girls are irrational and obnoxious. Sighing, he looked down to see Tsukiyo approaching him. It's obvious that she has something to say, apparent with the small blush on her cheeks and averting her eyes.

"Umm, Keima. Please don't think of Luna as selfish. She may not say it in person, but I think she really wants to help you find the other Goddess. And don't worry, I'll help you."

Hardly believable, but something tells him that it's true. Deciding to pursue that matter at a later date, he smiled gently at Tsukiyo and gave her a quiet "thank you". She could tell that he wasn't acting and the smile was sincere, causing her blush to grow. Without saying a word she headed towards the stairs and looked back like she had just remembered something.

"Shiori, let's go."

Said librarian immediately followed Tsukiyo's trail but stopped when she reached Keima.

"U-umm… S-see you later, Katsuragi-kun!"

Bowing slightly, she continued her way towards Tsukiyo, while Keima acknowledged her departure. Seeing that the meeting was as good as over, Ayumi stood up from where she was sitting down and stretched for a while before making her way towards the stairs as well.

"Geez, you call me out here even though you have nothing for me to do. Later, Katsuragi."

Keima sighed at that little comment. Typical Ayumi. Obediently following meet-up orders and then pouting when she has nothing to do.

"I-I think I should go as well. Goodbye, Keima-kun."

And after a little exchange of smiles, Kanon was gone too.

"Well, I think it's time for us to go too."

Diana said through the mirror Tenri was holding, with Eri agreeing to the idea.

"Wait. I have something to ask."

Keima said, stopping his childhood friend from standing up just yet.

"Ceres isn't a part of the Jupiter Sisters, am I right?"

Keima asked, but it was more like he stated a fact. After thinking about it carefully the last night, he came to the conclusion that this seventh Goddess was in fact, not part of the six Jupiter Sisters. In reality, there were many evidences that supported his claim, the main ones being Diana's explanations. As far as Keima knows, the Jupiter Sisters have a "bond" of some sorts, meaning that if one dies, all of them gets replaced, although he doesn't know if they also die or just lose their Goddess status. His point being, if Ceres had died earlier, then wouldn't Diana and the others be gone as well? It was like a major plot hole in a game that didn't connect at all. Nonetheless, his accurate guess impressed Diana greatly, causing a smile to appear on her face.

"My, my, how clever. I'd expect nothing less from you, Katsuragi-san. Alright, I shall explain. Like you have said, Ceres is not a part of the Jupiter Sisters. She was instead the Goddess in charge of making sure the humans did not die out, nor get overpopulated. For example, if she finds a certain farmer worthy, she'll make his crops thrive and grow abundant, hence the title, Goddess of Harvest. She is also well versed in healing and supportive spells. She was once me and my sisters' mentor, you know."

So she's like the Goddesses' senpai. By standard, one should assume that she'd be a mature and wise woman if she lived that long. But as per experience, Keima was willing to bet ten hours of gaming that she'll be childish. Taking Eri and Haqua as examples, who are over three hundred years old and yet, act like middle schoolers. Although the wise part didn't seem too far off from reality, she _is_ a Goddess after all.

"Nii-sama? What is it?"

Keima raised an eyebrow in confusion as to why Eri was asking him that while blushing, before he realized he was staring at his sister all this time. Perhaps the thought of the word "childish" drew his gaze unto the very essence of childishness itself.

* * *

Mio rose up from her seat as soon as classes were dismissed. It's going to be another busy day at the store, she thought, although that wasn't what was mostly bothering her. Rather, it was her mother's words the last night that's caused her mind to go on overdrive. Why would she ask that, anyway? It's not like she even met the guy. Thinking back, there really was no way they should know each other, but he instinctively called her by first name! That's not how complete strangers should address each other. Sighing once more, she dismissed the thought once more and walked towards the hallway. She really had no more energy to waste thinking about the infamous Otamegane, so he quietly hoped that her mother, or anyone else for that matter, won't pester her about him anymore.

"Hey, Mio!"

Forget about that, she hoped no one would pester her. Period.

Before even being able to turn around to see who just called her, an arm lightly slammed the back of her shoulders. Almost expectedly, she lost her balance and frantically looked for something to grasp as she fell down. Luckily, the offending arm caught her in time, saving her from a day's worth of embarrassment. After correcting her posture, she was finally able to see who dared push her. And of course, it was Goidou Yui, her classmate and childhood friend. She was also the host of the Goddess of War, Mars, but it's not like Mio knows that.

"Yui, what do you think you're doing? Get off."

"Sorry, sorry!"

Yui immediately complied with Mio's order after sheepishly apologizing. Perhaps it slipped her mind that her friend was wearing those ridiculously high heels and even the lightest amount of force _will_ topple her.

"So, what do you want?"

She slightly cringed upon realizing how her sentence came off a little harsh, but she doubted that _this_ Yui will be affected. It's just that, for some reason, she's been having difficulty talking to her friend ever since she started acting and dressing like a man for some reason. Last time she asked her why, she just said that she "felt like it" and that men's clothes seemed more comfortable.

"Oh nothing, I just want to catch up with you, you know, like how childhood friends do?" Yui said while scratching her head's back. Very unusual for her to act shyly ever since she… changed.

Mio felt a smile creep up on her face. It was actually a nice suggestion. Admittedly, she really did want to talk to her and Urara again, but since the latter is out of the country, then they'll have to make do without her.

"Alright, but let's not waste too much time. I'm going to be late for work."

And with that statement, Mio started walking again, with Yui following behind her.

"I'll start then!" Yui said, seeing as Mio had no intention of starting a conversation. "When girls talk, we talk about boys! Umm… right? So! Have someone you like?"

And straight-to-the-point Yui asked her friend, who slightly jumped back in surprise at the topic she's been desperately trying to avoid. Her reaction caused Yui's smile to turn into a knowing grin, causing Mio's blush to intensify.

"W-wha- NO! I do not! Don't go getting the wrong idea! I don't like that Otamegane at all!"

Oops.

"Ah, so that's how it is."

Yui teased once more. Mio was seriously debating whether or not she'll bring out her whip and just let all her irritation out at her.

"No! No! No! Shut up!"

And Mio stormed off once more, while Yui effortlessly caught up with her. Well, it's not like Mio could get away quickly while wearing those heels. Seeing Yui's grin once more, Mio felt her anger rise up again. Realizing that it's hopeless trying to outrun her, she started ignoring her instead, giving her tome to think about what just happened. Something really didn't add up. Why did that guy appear in her mind when asked about who she liked? Have they really not met before? Definitely not. If they have known each other enough that she'll like him, then she'd surely remember him. Right?

"But man, that guy surely is something to make even you also like him!"

Also? Did Yui just say "also"?

"I told you I do- Huh? What do you mean? Don't tell me… you actually like that guy?"

"Wha? No, I don't!"

I love him! Is what Yui was going to say. Good thing she was able to stop herself from saying it out loud. If she made this more complicated, then Keima will never hear the end of it. Summoning up all her thinking power, Yui desperately tried to come up with something else in order for Mio to not get the wrong (right) idea.

"Well, I'm pretty sure you've heard about the rumor about him and Kanon, right?"

Yui silently congratulated herself for being a genius when she needed to be.

To be honest, Mio just couldn't be bothered about those kind of rumors. But thinking about it carefully, she can recall something about the popular idol Kanon going out with the creepy Otamegane. So, that's how it is. And in a second, Mio was mentally berating herself for being depressed at the thought of that guy already going out with someone else.

"Personally, I don't think it's true. Sure, Kanon may have said she loves him, but that Katsuragi-san doesn't seem the type to go out with someone just because she's an idol."

"Oh? Hmm…"

"So! Go confess to him!"

Confess? Hearing that word, Mio felt a wave of nostalgia rush up her entire body. After a slight sharp but short headache, she vaguely remembered someone confessing to her at the school gates. But when she pressed on the memory more, the boy's face became more vivid to reveal… Morita. Now that was just so wrong. She can clearly remember ordering Morita to get rid of the boy, resulting in an awkward memory of Morita performing a wrestling move on… another Morita. Something was really wrong with her brain.

"So, made up your mind? When are you confessing?"

Mio's train of awkward thoughts was interrupted by another dreaded question from Yui, causing her blush to reappear. Did she really just consider her suggestion?

"No! Why should I!? Baka! Baka! Baka!"

Not caring about the possible consequences of stomping off while wearing high heels, Mio stormed off the school, leaving Yui with a smile that seems to say "mission accomplished" After Mio was completely out of sight, Yui started walking in the opposite direction.

"Well now, time to report to Keima-kun!"

* * *

 **For all who wants to know, by the way, I've been able to update quite frequently because it's our break right now. And because of all that free time, I have a lot of written material as of the moment. However, school starts again in the next few weeks, so there goes my free time. T_T**

 **So, read and please don't hold back on reviewing! Thanks.**

 **...**

 **Geez, I suck at talking.**


	4. Chapter 4: The Reeling Continues

**Konnichi wa, minna! Once again I have returned with an update!**

 **...**

 **Uh, yeah, that's pretty much it.**

* * *

"I'm going to be late for club practice!"

A brown-haired girl said as she ran towards the swimming club. She's right after all, if you're late, then you didn't do your best. She remembered her earlier pledge to always give her 100%, so she cannot be late, by all means. As far as her memory can take her though, she absolutely has no idea what made her do that pledge, since saying that it's for her dream sounds a little cliché. But then, shouldn't we all live our lives in the best way we can? It shouldn't take a grand reason for a person to want to give it the best shot.

Smiling because of the innocent thought, she ran through the school grounds at an athlete's speed while her short and shriveled brown hair danced behind her. Being a swimmer really does have its quirks. At this rate, she'll arrive in t-

"Oof!"

The girl fell down bottom first to the ground with a soft thud while the person she bumped into was pushed back a few inches.

"Hey, you alright?"

The person she bumped into asked while offering his hand to help her stand up. She looked him straight into the eye as she took his hand. For some reason, those pair of eyes seems… familiar. After fully standing up, she withdrew her hand when the person released it.

"Um… thank you, and sorry for bumping into you."

She said while bowing down and making a mental note to watch where she's running. However, upon raising her head to face the person again, she immediately recognized him, evident by the slight surprise her face showed, which for some reason alarmed him.

"I… know you, senpai!"

The suspense building between the two started to rise, with the guy looking like he's about to freak out. Why was he acting like that, the girl thought.

"U-um… you do…?"

The boy asked rather sheepishly, with a small blush forming on his face. His eyes seem to wander about in different directions. Why was he panicking like that?

"You…"

Here it comes! The boy thought, fighting the urge to close his eyes as if a fused bomb was thrown at him.

"You're the strange senpai who mistook me for someone else back then!"

Huh.

"Err… oh yeah… haha"

"And you're also the weirdest weirdo senpai!"

Silence took over the already awkward atmosphere. Surprisingly, that didn't sound so insulting; that particular boy had heard worse insults. This however, relieved the boy to some extent. He sighed and gently smiled at the girl, who returned the gesture.

"But you know, senpai? I think you shouldn't pay attention to stuff like that! Even though we barely know each other, I think you're a great guy!"

Now this was something the boy surely didn't expect, obvious by the fact that he was visibly taken aback by the kind words from a kouhai. Readjusting his glasses, he returned to smiling at her.

"I see… well, good luck to you too. You're in the swim team, right? If you don't hurry, you're going to be late."

Apparently, the girl was less talented in fighting the urge to panic. After bowing to the boy and saying one quick goodbye, she continued her little run towards the club. But before she could become completely out of sight, she did a little twirl to face the senpai again.

"Um, I-I'm Ikoma Minami, by the way!"

The boy gently smiled at her again.

"It's Katsuragi Keima."

Minami closed her eyes and raised her hands in the air and waved towards him, all the while smiling and standing on her toes. Not that it made her seem taller, but it was still a pretty cute sight, like a young girl in love vying for the attention of her crush.

"Nice to properly meet you! I hope we meet again, Katsuragi-senpai!"

After opening her eyes again, she did a reverse twirl to return to her previous direction and made her way once more to the club. Once she was completely out of Keima's sight, he started to walk towards the other direction. The smile on his face still apparent, he turned his head around one last time.

"Yeah, it's nice to meet you again, Minami."

* * *

"It seems Minami-chan does not remember the conquest at all, Nii-sama."

Eri said, following her brother's trail and slightly staggering in her walk. Hiding behind a wall for an extended period of time can be really tiring. These are the times she really missed her Hagoromo. Not giving a reply to his sister's statement, Keima continued to walk home, already exhausted by the day's events. His fingers were itching for some gaming. But of course, the Real isn't about to let him just yet.

"Darling~~~!

Why was Yui here? Keima thought, he could've sworn he sent her a message to tell her that she can report to him tomorrow. Sighing at the Goddess host's enthusiasm, he turned around in time to see Yui leap at him for a hug, and subsequently dodge her.

"Oops, I missed."

"Hey, that's my line, Yui-san!

"I am not a target!"

After ignoring Keima's little outburst, Yui stood up and dusted her uniform clean. And of course, she was reprimanded by Keima about not following orders, to which she just laughed off sheepishly and explained that the whole "mission" vibe was exciting her so much that she couldn't wait to report. Sighing in defeat, he just motioned for her to get on with what she has to say.

"So, chief, with regards to Mio's responses when asked about you, although she doesn't clearly remember you, it seems she has some sort of crush on you."

So her feelings remain, that's a good thing for Keima should she be the target.

"Also, it seems that she possessed enough memories that the word "confess" rattled her up a bit. I remember being told that you started her conquest by confessing to her, no?"

Keima was a little surprised at the somewhat detailed report Yui delivered. She was even able to dig up some rather important information pertaining to Mio's conquest. The God of Conquests surely did not expect such an excellent job from Yui, but nonetheless, he felt a little elated. This girl will be a powerful ally should the re-conquering of the tsundere take place.

"Good job, Yui. Can I ask you to continue asking her about me more tomorrow? Just don't overdo it."

Yui seemed to like the idea of being useful to Keima, her eyes brightening up and clenching her fists optimistically, much like how Eri does. Fearing another glomping, Keima heightened his guard but quickly let it down when Yui opened her mouth instead.

"Of course! Leave it to me, darling!"

"Alright, thanks. You can go now. Have a good evening."

"You too! Bye! Eri, see you tomorrow!"

"See ya, Yui-san!"

And with that little exchange of greetings, Yui and the Katsuragi siblings parted ways. After about five minutes of walking, Eri seemingly remembered something. Approaching her brother who was now playing his PFP, she tried to call his attention by poking him. And of course, there was no immediate response as per usual.

"What is it, Eri?"

Keima asked after five minutes, not bothering to take his eyes off his game. Eri was greatly irritated at the delay, how indelicate of him to make a girl wait! But that being said, her brother always does that to her, so after simply resorting to a sigh, the younger Katsuragi decided to just tell him what's been bothering her.

"I was wondering, Nii-sama… why didn't you recheck Kusunoki-senpai earlier? Didn't you say you will check both her and Minami-chan?"

The former demon could have sworn she heard her brother grumble something along the lines of "She never learns" or "Still the same as usual". Keeping her annoyance in check, Eri patiently waited for a proper answer. She deserves one, she thought.

"Yes, I did say that. But I did not say I will check them both today. Unlike the last time, there is no need to rush this conquest since Vintage and Satyr are history. Right now, it is better to make sure everything is in order before moving ahead. I don't want… that… to ever happen again."

Although a little dumbfounded at the last part, Eri agreed with her brother's plan as they continued to walk home. Once again, silence enveloped the two, but Eri didn't mind. That's just how her brother is, and even with the silent treatment, she enjoys his company very much.

Yes, that was the prized relationship of Katsuragi Keima and Eri.

* * *

It was another afternoon at work for a certain young Aoyama as she waited patiently(?) at the counter for potential customers. Her mom had a little errand to do so she was all alone at the bakery, which didn't seem to other the blonde girl too much. Alternating between staring at the store doors and walking around, arranging the merchandise if need be, Mio watched the minutes tick by ever so slowly. Don't get her wrong, she definitely isn't looking forward for some commoners to stop by.

And right when she wasn't looking, the chime rang, signaling the long awaited arrival of a customer. Quickly rearranging herself, Mio returned to the counter in record time.

"Welcome, commoner, how may I he-"

To her surprise, the person that entered wasn't a commoner at all. Walking towards the counter with surefooted elegance was a short girl with blonde wavy hair. Her small stature was greatly emphasized by her silky white skin, giving her the appearance of a doll with a red robe concealing the school uniform she was wearing, and in her arms was the porcelain doll she always carried around. And most of all, she was her classmate.

Kujou Tsukiyo, Class 2-A, President of the Astronomy Club.

"Honestly, why am I even here…? This place isn't beautiful at all…"

Mio heard her classmate speak, causing a vein to pop in her head. She managed to hold it in though, since fighting with a customer is strictly prohibited, even though the rule doesn't seem to apply to calling them commoners. After looking around for a while, Tsukiyo approached the counter, and almost understandably, Mio tuned up her "prideful stance". This was certainly a situation she didn't want to be seen in, although Tsukiyo thankfully didn't seem the type to spread rumors.

"Hello, Aoyama-san."

Tsukiyo said in the most expressionless face she could make, also known as her usual expression.

"Welcome, Kujou-san. What could you be doing here, if I may ask?"

Mio replied in her usual tone.

"As you can see, I am here for some bread."

Despite the conversation supposedly being a normal one, the two girls were somehow able to turn into a somewhat hostile and mostly awkward one. Perhaps it's a bad idea to keep two short blondes alone in a room.

"And how must I impart my kindness upon you?"

Mio asked with a prideful and confident tone. Blame it on her slight advantage in height.

"I need you to give me your most pleasant-looking bread."

As if that made sense. Nonetheless, Mio complied with the other girl's request and led her through the store. A full five minutes passed with Mio showing her different samples of bread while Tsukiyo examined and sometimes commented on the bread's appearance, completely ignoring Mio's statements about the taste. It was actually the first time the proud Aoyama even did such a thing for a customer.

Finally being able to make her decision, the blonde pair returned to the counter so that Tsukiyo can pay for her selected bread, which was of course, the most expensive one. The smaller girl reached for her purse and as Mio expected, pulled out a ten thousand yen note. Figuring that asking for a smaller amount would be a wasted effort, Mio sighed as she took the money from her classmate.

Mio felt a little wave if nostalgia as she computed for how much should the change be. Before, she'd usually give a ridiculously large amount of money to a clerk as payment for a single buy. Now it's happening again, only this time, she _is_ the clerk. Luckily for her, the cash register had enough change to suffice for Tsukiyo's money. Placing the bread her customer bought in a plastic bag, Mio handed it over along with the change.

"Thank you for your patronage… or whatever. Err… come again, I guess."

"I will try."

Tsukiyo replied in a slightly mocking tone, her expression changing for the first time since entering the store. However, it wasn't a look of contempt or annoyance, rather, it was a smile.

"Oho, then I certainly hope you try harder once I make this bakery the most successful bread store in the country!"

Mio challenged, her expression also having changed from an irritated one to smiling confidently. Perhaps they could actually be friends should they try hard enough. And as usual for two people who don't know each other much, it was the first time they saw the each other smile.

Now that the atmosphere has loosened up, Tsukiyo found the perfect opportunity to accomplish her true objectives for visiting the bakery, which was of course, something Mio didn't know about.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Aoyama-san, you must pardon me for asking so suddenly, but I was wondering if you knew a man named Katsuragi?"

Mio froze upon hearing the other girl's question. Seriously? First her mother, then Yui, and now her classmate whom she just got acquainted with is asking her about that guy? If it was a person she knows better, she would have snapped but she wasn't that close with Tsukiyo yet so…

"Huh? Yeah, wait, no! I mean, I know him but I haven't actually met him but… gah! Why is everyone asking me about that guy!?"

… she still snapped.

"Um, Aoyama-san?"

Tsukiyo asked, slightly concerned about her classmate's well-being. Well, it was somehow her fault so she felt inclined to ask.

Quickly reclaiming her sanity, Mio felt all the shame in the world fill her entire being. What was she thinking, exploding in front of another person like that? Feeling her cheeks heat up because of embarrassment, she apologized to Tsukiyo for losing her temper, something that happens quite often.

But the apologizing part wasn't.

"Er… about your question, that commoner Katsuragi… to be honest, I don't really know if we've met before. But he does seem really familiar to me that I can't shake the feeling that I know him from somewhere, like a dream I can't remember.

Mio admitted. Vocally expressing her inner sentiments for the first time, she felt a considerable weight off her chest. But after a few seconds of awkward silence, her eyes suddenly widened as if she just recalled something important, slightly startling Tsukiyo.

"B-but it's not like I care about him! Don't get the wrong idea here! For all I care, he can go all lovey-dovey-whatever with that idol Kanon! He can just die in the worst way possible!"

Something important indeed.

Tsukiyo sweatdropped as she watched the little scene that just unfolded before her eyes. Just how hard it is to be honest with yourself? But upon reanalyzing the thought of self-honesty, Tsukiyo felt a little guilty of accusing Mio of being unable to say what she really feels since she herself suffers from the same problem. But she was improving thanks to Keima's help. This thought caused her cheeks to redden a bit, but she quickly corrected herself upon seeing that Mio was looking at her with a confused face.

"Oh would you look at time, I really must be going now."

Tsukiyo said to free herself from her awkward position. It wasn't a lie though; it really was getting dark outside.

"Uh yeah."

Mio replied in an equally awkward position. Tsukiyo smiled again before walking out of the store, the bell chime confirming her exit. Seeing as there are no more customers again, Mio returned to staring at the doors, but her thoughts weren't blank anymore like earlier. Thanks to Tsukiyo, her thoughts returned to Katsuragi again. Once again, sighing seemed like the only thing she can do as a response to her increasing anxiety.

Thinking about a few things, Mio rested her head on her hands, which was in turn supported by her arm resting on the counter. After much thought, she finally remembered a previous encounter with the commoner named Katsuragi. Back then, she simply asked him how much Omusoba bread she can buy with her change, and after being told she can buy two, their conversation was over. And then the next part was her looking back at him, which eventually transitioned to staring. And of course, he catches her, causing her to quickly turn away.

Mio blushed as she remembered that last part. She never knew the reason why she even looked back that time. All she can remember was, while she was staring at him, the only thing on her mind were thoughts about whipping him.

* * *

Back at her home, Tsukiyo sat down while she placed the recently bought bread beside her. Talking with Mio was really tiring, she thought.

"You did well earlier, Tsukiyo."

Vulcan said through Luna, which was met with a quick expression of gratitude from the Tsukiyo. Still, the thought that they were practically assisting the unfaithful dog named Katsuragi womanize was getting on her nerves, but since he's apparently doing it to reawaken a fellow Goddess, Vulcan had no choice but to let it slide… for now.

"But still, did you really have to buy something?"

The Goddess asked. Tsukiyo smiled at her before taking out said something from the plastic bag. Observing it for a while, it really was a little unnecessary to buy a piece of bread.

"I don't want Aoyama-san to think something's up, and if I just asked her out of the blue, it'll be too obvious."

Tsukiyo was right, the eldest Goddess thought. Feeling proud at her host for thinking ahead, she watched her examine the bread a little more before unwrapping it.

"Well, I hope it's up to your standards."

"Honestly, it's as plain as it can be."

Vulcan continued to watch as Tsukiyo took a small bite from the pastry.

"But I must admit, it does have a pleasing flavor."

* * *

 **How was it? Tell me your opinions, okay?**

 **Anyhow, thanks for the reviews again! You people are as awesome as ever. I've got one week of break left so yeah. See ya later guys.**


	5. Chapter 5: Thank you

**Hey hey! Thanks for the _awesome_ reviews! \\(^.^)/**

 **...**

 **And with that short statement, here's chapter 5!**

* * *

"I see… thank you, Tsukiyo. Good night."

Keima said through the phone before placing it on his table. Tsukiyo had just reported her conversation with Mio to him. To be honest, the God of Conquests didn't really expect much from her because of what Vulcan said, but seeing how detailed her report was, one could assume that the Goddess didn't completely mean what she said. Mostly.

With all the information he received from Yui and Tsukiyo, it's pretty much guaranteed that Mio at the very least remembers _experiencing_ the conquest. Since her possible Goddess hasn't awakened yet, it's acceptable that she'll have minimal memory of Keima himself. What Keima is really worried about is when the conquest gets underway and no memories resurface. But for now, he'll just have to rely on the theory he's proven and prepare all necessary preparations.

All that's left is to recheck Kusunoki. And if she isn't a host like he said, then all that's left is an _event that will give sufficient evidence that Mio is Ceres's host._ What that is however, Keima doesn't know yet.

For now, it's God of Conquests mode time.

* * *

The bell chimes for the last time that day, signaling the closing of the bakery.

Mio was now watching her mother lock down the store, rapidly tapping her feet on the ground due to boredom even though it's only been ten seconds. The girl seemed to always be in a hurry these past few days, a fact her mother didn't fail to notice. Her little conversation with Tsukiyo rattled her up and combined with Yui's earlier pestering, Keima was now definitely glued in her mind. Closing her eyes, images of the bespectacled gamer appear like she expected. Unbeknownst to her, her mom has already finished up closing shop and drew her face closer to her daughter's, and was expectedly unnoticed.

"Thinking about megane-kun again aren't you?"

And as expected, Mio's hair spiked up like a startled cat, accompanied by her face turning completely red. Giggling to her heart's content while her daughter was saying thirty-two variations of the word "no", Mrs. Aoyama mentally congratulated herself for hitting the jackpot once again.

Giving in, Mio just sighed again. Honestly, her mother never listens to her when it's about "megane-kun". Although there's no denying that her mind has always been on him, she just hoped that her mother, or anybody else, would rub it in her face.

Mio was staring outside the window the entire time inside the car. As unusual as it was for the high-schooler, her mother didn't say a word about the matter at all. She already knew what's keeping her daughter's mind occupied anyway. But it's making the atmosphere awkward so she couldn't resist the urge to talk to her, so a slightly different topic should be fine.

"Mio, how are things with megane-kun?"

Yes, a slightly different topic.

"W-wha!? What things!? N-nothing's happening!? Geez!"

Again, her mother started yet another topic about "megane-kun". Feeling her blood rise up to her cheeks, Mio lashed out at her mother that it's not what she thinks it is. Her mother's giggling didn't help the matter at all. Unbelievable, how much more must this scene repeat?

"You shouldn't be ashamed of being in love you know…"

Love? With Katsuragi? How absurd! As much as she thought of the idea though, Mio was unable to put them into words.

"Why would I be in love with… t-t-that commoner!? I've never even spent five minutes of my life with him!"

"Oh, Mio. You don't need a reason to love someone. Although that line sounds a little too cliché…"

Reason?

That's right, she has absolutely no reason to love that man. After all, he definitely wasn't the guy who brought her to that party…

…Huh?

Mio felt a short feeling of pain in her head, accompanied by the feeling of suddenly remembering something important. Her mind immediately went back to the party she was supposedly taken to. But who is it that took her there? Probing into her memories further was a futile effort however, as a short and sharp pain struck her head when she attempted to recall the full events of that night. Strange, she always saw this scene in her dreams, but whenever she wakes up, all she'd remember was that _she had that dream_. Just like how it is for any memory about Katsuragi. Now the scene was a little clearer but still made no sense.

"Mio? Are you alright?"

Mio's mother's call quickly brought her back to Earth. Quickly affirming that she's fine, Mio returned to staring out of the window, and a few moments later, she was back to trying to figure out what she just remembered.

Recalling the memory of the boy with Morita's wrongly placed face who confessed to her, she tried to remember the events that occurred after and to her surprise, she was able to. As far as she can remember, Morita supposedly quit being her chauffeur that afternoon, only to see him again peeking inside the apartment. Although what bothered her was the fact that Morita now wore Mai High's boys uniform. Trying to clarify the memory caused another short migraine however.

"Just what is it that I'm forgetting?"

There was no mistaking it now, her memories were completely wrong. First of all, there were instances of serious contradictions in the space time continuum, like two Moritas.

But why would she have wrong memories in the first place?

Did something happen in that party? All she could remember was that night was the one that made her change. That night, she managed to accept the past and look forward to the future. That was the night he kissed her.

"KISS!?"

Mio shouted out unknowingly, startling everyone else in the car, meaning, her mother and Morita. The chauffeur just continued driving, but her mother was now looking at her with a puzzled expression. Did she just hear her? Hopefully not.

"Kiss?"

And of course, she heard her.

"No! No! No! It's not what you think! I never kissed that Katsuragi! I-I'd never even dream about it!"

Giggling, Mrs. Aoyama returned her view to the front, leaving Mio heavily embarrassed with a scarlet face and steam emitting from her ears. Based on her wrong memories, it was Morita she danced with and kissed so why did she say Katsuragi?

Wait.

Why _did_ she say Katsuragi?

Was he the boy in her memories? No, that idea was absurd. He never even talked to her, so that thought was out of the question. Kissing a girl and ignoring her afterwards is a shameless thing to do in modern society,

But what If he was pretending to not remember?

Surprisingly, that thought never entered her mind until now. Mio felt her anger rise up considerably. As absurd as it may sound, perhaps something really did happen between them and she just conveniently developed amnesia while he pretended to not know her. But why would he do that? No plausible reason can possibly justify an act so it's pretty much proven that nothing happened between her and Katsuragi.

That's right, there's no possible way that it's him.

* * *

Kasuga Kusunoki.

The captain of the girls' karate club, and the inheritor of the Kasuga dojo, was doing her usual routine in the clubroom. Since every member left, there wasn't much point in club activities. Stopping to rest for a while, she immediately saw how dirty the room was. She sighed. It was a lot cleaner when Katsuragi was around.

That wimp who ran away from her. Really, such a person didn't deserve to exist. Well, that may have been a bit too harsh. Perhaps a few broken bones would suffice. Yeah, that should be enough. Kusunoki began to smile upon thinking such silly thoughts. Of course, she could consider him a friend. He _did_ help her reconcile with Hinoki, after all. Will he ever come back again? It's not that she doesn't enjoy his company.

"Shishou."

Speak of the devil.

"Katsuragi? What are you doing here?"

Kusunoki asked. What's the deal with this guy suddenly reappearing out of nowhere? She approached him anyway. He still looked as weak as ever, she thought. No matter, it's what makes him cute. Wait, what?

"Oh nothing much. Just for old time's sake."

So he was sightseeing, huh. Wait, did he say old times? A clever idea then made its way into Kusunoki's mind. Unknowingly forming a grin, she sent a very nostalgic and unpleasant feeling through Keima.

"Old times, eh? Then scrub the floors!"

"B-but…"

"NOW!"

Keima soon found himself cleaning the clubroom once again, being watched by the club's captain who had a very satisfied smile on her face. Trust the real to abuse him whenever he attempts to involve himself in it.

After a full half-hour of cleaning, Keima slumped on the floor completely exhausted. Damn that woman for making him do that. To his surprise, Kusunoki sat down beside him without saying a word. An unexpected development indeed. Does she remember him? There's always the possibility that she's the Goddess host. Deciding to do what he came for, he began to open his mouth.

"Ne, Katsuragi. What did you really come for? I doubt you came back just to scrub floors… or see me."

Kusunoki beat him to it, it seems. Wait, was she blushing? She has no reason to be, unless… she remembers. It's now or never, Keima thought. He readjusted his glasses, corrected his sitting posture, and looked the karate girl in the eyes. Puzzled, Kusunoki asked him what's wrong, but he opted to remain silent for a few seconds first.

"Actually… I did come here to see you."

So he did come here to see her. Wait, he what? Fighting the urge to blush at his words, Kusunoki edged back a few inches. What was that creep playing at? Is he hitting on her? Oh, he better not be! So that was his original reason for joining the club!? Unacceptable! Deciding to send him straight to the other end of the Earth, she grit her teeth and got ready to hit him. However…

"Shishou… do you remember… our kiss?

And that was all Keima managed to say until he found himself on the other side of the room with a sore jaw. It seems Kusunoki has been training hard. She managed to punch him with enough force to send him flying across the room fast enough that the pain only came moments after.

"What the hell, Katsuragi!?"

Kusunoki was indeed red right now. Not from embarrassment, but from anger. She had every right to be angry and her earlier words could not have been said better. Rising from the floor while wincing in pain, Keima found himself at the mercy of the enraged Kasuga. Her face was shadowed with her eyes being the only things visible on her face.

"For your information, I have never kissed anyone in my entire life!"

She was wrong. They did kiss, so she should have had a different reaction. So it seems she does not remember her own conquest at all. Immediately discarding his earlier lines, Keima focused his thinking power on trying to find a way out of this mess instead.

"Shishou… it was a joke… haha"

Joke or not, that was a really shameless thing to say. Nonetheless, seeing his pained but still smiling face, Kusunoki felt a little guilty for hitting him that hard right off the bat. Maybe she should've held back a bit. Averting her eyes, she offered him a helping hand so he can stand up, which he took without a single complaint.

With such a simple explanation, Keima managed to escape a possible beating. Fixing his glasses, he turned to Kusunoki and apologized to her. Sensing that her anger was dissipating, Keima let out a sheepish laugh.

"Well, I think I should be going now, Shishou."

Admit it or deny it, Kusunoki did have a little fun with Katsuragi's visit. And since he was leaving now, she felt a little down that she'll be alone in the clubroom again. Seeing Keima about to exit the room, she attempted to call out to him, but found no word come out of her mouth. Luckily for her, Keima turned around to see the karate girl in a reaching out position. Asking her what's wrong, she immediately turned away.

"Katsuragi. Your punishment isn't over yet. Come back once in a while, alright?"

All in all, Keima didn't see any reason to come back. But looking at Kusunoki again, he realized she might have been lonely all by herself in this room. Forming a sincere smile, he continued to open the door, but stopped midway.

"I'll try, Shishou."

* * *

"Well, that settles it, Nii-sama! Mio-san really is the Goddess host!"

Keima sighed at his sister's little cheer. Did he not tell her to not jump to conclusions just like that? Apparently not. Turning around, the God of Conquests decided to once again enlighten his dear little sister.

"I wouldn't say "really" just yet. Remember, I need one more event to fully clarify it."

Opening the house's door, Keima and Eri proceeded to the kitchen where they find another notice of absence from their mother. She's really being absent a lot these days, making the Katsuragi siblings wonder whether or not their mother was up to something. Seeing no use trying to figure that out, the older brother made his way to his room.

And upon entering his domain, his eyes shifted from left to right until they focused on a familiar figure sitting on his bed. Really, she could have just waited in the living room.

"Nii-sama! What would you like for din- oh! Diana-san!"

Just as Eri had immediately said after barging in, the Tactician Goddess, Diana, was currently sitting on Keima's bed. Judging by the school uniform she was wearing, it was quite obvious that she directly went to the Katsuragi household right after Tenri's school's dismissal. Immediately greeting the room's owner with a smile, the heavenly being's left eye twitched when said owner just casually brushed past her and made his way to his "throne".

"Excuse me, Katsuragi-san. Would you mind talking a bit before… doing what it is you are going to do?"

Keima spent a good one minute correcting his sitting posture.

"No, my backlog is growing by every passing second!"

Diana felt both of her eyes twitch at the gamer's answer while Eri simply sweatdropped. Now, it was really getting annoying for the Goddess. The nerve of this man after all the questionable things he did.

"Tsk, and to think Tenri headed here immediately right after leaving school to talk to you!"

No response.

Keima continued to ignore the Goddess and focused on his six games. Sure, he felt guilty for hurting both the Goddess and the host, but that doesn't mean he'll sacrifice the only gaming time he had left aside from playing in class. Rapidly hitting the six consoles' buttons with his god-like speed, the God of Conquests seemed unreachable to Diana and Eri, who joined in trying to catch her brother's attention. The two girls' faces darkened; before them was a gamer who was currently immersed in a world of his own.

"U-umm… K-Keima-kun…"

Keima felt his hair rise up upon hearing the voice of the person who just spoke. So Diana pulled out that card after all. He turned around, and sure enough, beside his sister was his childhood friend in her usual fidgeting stance. Feeling his guilt resurface, Keima involuntarily said his friend's name, making her blush and look away.

"Um, Diana… wasn't lying… I wanted to talk to you, Keima-kun. A-and Eri too!"

The God of Conquests sighed. Agreeing to Tenri's request, Keima approached his bed, sat down, and told his sister and friend to sit down as well. The three sat in awkward silence for a while, exchanging quick glances at each other. Eri felt the urge to leave again, but ultimately decided not to in the fear of missing out on something, again.

After a few minutes, it was Tenri who broke the silence.

"Keima-kun… how are you?"

"Fine, I guess…"

Keima replied. He had no idea what to say in this moment. Actually, he knows millions of appropriate lines, but he _knows_ Tenri'll just see through it. That and he doesn't want his best friend to think that he's just treating her like any other game heroine. Luckily for him, Eri was there.

"Oh! We're doing great., Tenri-san! The Café has more customers nowadays, and mother is frequently away! And do you know about our new cake? I brought some for the 2-B Pencils the other day and they said it was good!"

Watching his sister blabber about random stuff while Tenri laughed nervously, Keima felt a small smile creep up his face. Tenri seemed alright, he thought. But he knows deep down, behind that sweet smile was a broken heart.

"So, Tenri… what did you want to talk about?"

Getting startled a little, Tenri faced the other way around to see Keima… blushing? Was he really that embarrassed? Not knowing why, the braided girl smiled a little.

"Oh… I… uh… um… h-how did it go?"

How did what go? Before Keima could voice out the thought however, a thought occurred to him. How could he not tell? Of course it's about that.

"If you're talking about Chihiro, then I got rejected."

"Oh, I… sorry, Keima-kun…"

Tenri immediately replied. Turning her gaze unto the floor, she felt guilty of asking that question. So that's how it is then, two childhood friends in the rejected club. The silly thought returned Tenri's smile, which did not go unnoticed by Keima.

"Oh but you're still friends, right, Nii-sama?"

Eri asked with that cheerful and optimistic smile of hers.

"Y-yeah… we still talk at class, sometimes. I can't really blame her, after all, I was a selfish and inconsiderate jerk for randomly confessing and leaving you and the others hanging so it's only plausible that I got rejected. So I'm sorry, Tenri."

Seeing him with an out-of-character apologetic smile for the first time, Tenri replied to his expression with what could be called an it's-alright smile. Meanwhile, a certain Goddess was watching the events through the mirror with a smile plastered on her face.

"And thank you, for being my best friend."

Keima averted his gaze with that last sentence, surprising both girls and making Tenri blush. He was really being weird. But for him, today was a godsend. Not only did he make up with Tenri, he also gained the needed motivation to get Mio's conquest underway. The two girls present watched the God of Conquests stand up and adjust his glasses with as much dignity as he could muster.

"Alright. Tomorrow, the re-conquest of Aoyama Mio shall officially start!"

Tenri kept on smiling because of the bliss she felt now that her childhood friend, also the man she loves, Keima, is back to his usual self.

"But Nii-sama… I thought you needed one more event!?"

* * *

Extra

* * *

"Hey, Diana, something's been bothering me…"

Keima asked the Tactician Goddess.

"What is it?"

Said Goddess replied.

"How come you and the other Goddesses don't find it weird that Eri knows about New Hell and Goddesses?"

"Whatever might you be talking about, Katsuragi-san? Is she not your demon buddy?"

"Wha? How come you remember that? I thought she messed with everyone's memories but mine…"

Letting out a haughty snicker, Diana proceeded to answer the God of Conquest's question.

"You underestimate us, Goddesses, Katsuragi-san. It is a given that a small thing such as rewriting reality will fail to affect us."

Walking away in defeat, Keima returned to playing his games. Meanwhile, Diana turned around and mentally thanked Eri for explaining what happened after Satyr's defeat to her when Keima wasn't with them.

* * *

 **I've never been good at talking...**

 **...**

 **But enough about me being sentimental.**

 **How's the chapter? Tell me what you think, kay?**

 **I mean, I get a lot of ideas and inspiration from those wonderful thoughts :]**

 **So with that, I'm out. Be back in a couple of days. Mata ne, minna.**


	6. Chapter 6: Two Pieces of The Puzzle

**Hello again! Kara here! Whew, this chapter's slightly longer than the previous ones...**

 **Anyway, I'll let you read first. You decide.**

* * *

The store's sign was turned to open, signaling the start of the weekend's work for the Aoyama family. The sound of birds chirping, the sunlight shining through the windows, and the scent of fresh pastry lingered around the bakery. Waiting for the arrival of the day's first customer, Mrs. Aoyama hummed a soothing tune while rearranging the store's merchandise on display. Accompanied by the sound of plastic bags being moved, her harmonious melody emphasized the peaceful atmosphere of the store.

It was a tad different on another side however.

Slouching on the counter and head resting on one arm was the not-so-proud daughter of the Aoyama family. Heavy bags were visible beneath her sapphire eyes and several strands of her golden hair flared out in different directions. Staring out into beautiful nothingness was none other than Aoyama Mio, who had a face that screamed "did not sleep at all". Her face's statement was true though; the dazed blonde failed to get any good night's rest at all the last evening. After all the messed up things she had experienced in the past few days, there was no way she'd get any sleep in.

The mother was greatly concerned about the pitiful state her daughter was currently in, but when she asked earlier, Mio only replied with a quick "I'm fine". Temporarily stopping her humming to sigh, Mrs. Aoyama resumed her rearrangements.

Meanwhile, Mio's thoughts were in complete chaos. The last day proved to be more than what the blonde girl's mind could take. Every memory she had of the events that led to the party contradicted at least two others. But what troubled her most was the identity of she danced with _._

According to what fragmented memories the girl could remember, _he_ confessed to her in the school's gate. _He_ followed her to her apartment and found out that she was just pretending to be wealthy, and then volunteered to be her chauffeur when Morita temporarily quit. It was also _him_ who brought her to the party, danced with her, helped her let go of the past. And the most important part was she shared a kiss with _him._

But she couldn't find out who _he_ was. Until last week, she confused _him_ with Morita, as the middle aged man's face consistently popped up whenever any memory about the party appeared. Now, _his_ face was at most a messy blur. The memories were very vivid but when it comes to _his_ face, she could not see anything other than what appears to be smudged glass.

In a few seconds however, the distressed girl's thoughts were given an untimely interruption by the chiming sounds and the slight creaking of the front door. Said girl completely ignored the entrance of the store's first daily customer. Whoever it was, her mother can surely handle.

"Good Morning! Nii-sama, greet them too!"

A vaguely familiar female voice quickly filled the store's premises, slightly startling the other females inside. Still electing to ignore the offender, Mio continued to stare at the wall in a daze.

"Good Morning."

This time, a male's voice spoke up. And not just a male, the voice was clearly from the person who always made his way into Mio's mid whenever she tries to recall the party's events. He was the person who supposedly had nothing to do with the proud Aoyama whatsoever.

Walking inside to the bakery was Katsuragi Keima, PFP in hand and sister by his side.

Mio almost jumped up from her seat when she heard the voice of the so-called Otamegane inside the store. Having no idea what the guy could possibly be doing in the bakery, the blonde girl closed her eyes tightly and made her attempt to ignore the gamer, but with every passing second, it seemed like an impossible feat. After a few moments, Mrs. Aoyama quickly noticed her daughter's change in behavior and cast a teasing smile, something the smaller girl did not take kindly.

"Welcome! How may _we_ help you?"

The older Aoyama greeted with more enthusiasm than the younger one could remember. Her cheerful aura was met with its match however, when Katsuragi's sister straight asked for some kind of firetruck bread, sending a shockwave of silence throughout the store. The bespectacled boy then cleared his throat and silently reprimanded his sibling.

"Sorry about that. May we look around first?"

Katsuragi asked with a rather polite tone. Strange, polite was the last word he could be described with according to the rumors Mio had heard in the school. Her mother completely bought the supposed act however.

"Of course! Mio, would you mind kindly assisting this _charming_ young man and his adorable sister?"

Seeing as there was no way she could refuse her mother when she's like this, Mio begrudgingly sighed and made her way towards the Katsuragi siblings. With every step she took, her legs wobbled like jellies, causing a bewildered expression to appear on Katsuragi's face.

"Oi, be glad I'm sparing some time so make it quick."

To any other witness, it would have been a rude remark, but coupled with the small girl's light blush, crossed arms and squinted eyes, it became a rather cute sight.

Mrs. Aoyama couldn't help giggling at the "cute" scene unfolding in front of her, earning a look of annoyance courtesy of her daughter. With an I'll-be-in-the-counter-so-I-won't-get-in-the-way smile, the older woman left the teenagers alone but not without random chuckles. Sighing at her mother's childishness, Mio led the Katsuragi siblings towards the aisles. Not bothering to do her job properly, she nonchalantly pointed at the displayed pastries. Almost as if on cue, the sister cheerfully left to check the other aisles, leaving Mio and Katsuragi alone. The sound of the brown haired boy's game accompanied the rapid tapping of the blonde's feet, neither attempting to speak.

"W-well? I-I don't have all day, commoner."

Katsuragi stopped playing his game console after several seconds and turned his view onto Mio, causing the smaller girl to avert her gaze, still with crossed arms.

"W-what!?"

Mio blurted out when she noticed the gamer staring at her. Said gamer was unfazed by the girl's small outburst however, instead opting to resume his gaming.

"You look like you didn't sleep at all."

Katsuragi said without taking his eyes off his PFP.

"Yeah, thanks to you!"

A quick "eep!" escaped from Mio's mouth when she realized what she had just said, causing her face to turn beet red. Attempting to explain the current situation, the rattled girl continuously stuttered whenever she attempted to start an explanation. Her panic rose immediately rose when the gamer took off his eyes from the PFP and looked at her.

"Did you say something?"

Katsuragi asked with a nonchalant tone, relieving Mio to some extent, but also irritating her. The little mishap allowed the girl to regain her composure however.

"No, I didn't."

Averting her gaze once more, Mio decided to just wait for the gamer and his sister finish shopping. Seeing him resume his gaming, she sighed in annoyance because of how much she overreacted because of him. But by not saying anything unnecessary, she can just wait for him to finish whatever business he had in the store. That's right, he can be gone in a minute and she'll be back to brooding again. Mio sighed once more, the thought just felt pathetic.

The door's chime again interrupted the blonde girl's thoughts, signaling the arrival of yet another customer. Probably just a regular customer, Mio thought. With Katsuragi taking the position of weird customer of the day already, this next one will no doubt be a random commoner from the neighborhood.

"Oh, Katsuragi-san! Welcome!"

Mio's ears perked upon hearing the word "Katsuragi". Meanwhile, another person with that name seemingly transformed into a startled cat, confusing the blonde girl.

"Mother!"

Katsuragi's sister immediately ran towards the new customer, who was apparently her mother. That certainly explains some things for Mio.

"Well now, these two nice children are your kids? What a coincidence!"

Mrs. Aoyama casually commented, earning a n affirmative response from the orange-haired woman.

"Mom, what are you doing here?"

The male Katsuragi asked his mother. Mio felt a little surprise and unexplained disappointment upon finding out that he had already left her side

"Didn't I tell you before? This is where I buy bread every morning." The mother replied.

"Have a seat first Katsuragi-san, and of course, your children are welcome to stay! You too, Mio."

Mrs. Aoyama quickly chimed in, sending her daughter in a slight panic. Younger Katsuragi obediently obliged, but the older one… not so much. Mio as well was putting up some kind of resistance. But after all that's said and done, the five people inside the bakery found themselves sitting beside one of the store's tables.

Mio was inexplicably fidgeting.

Katsuragi was playing his PFP, something his mother reprimanded him for.

Younger Katsuragi was clueless.

"Well now! Let me introduce my children! This is Keima… and this is Eri!"

Mom Katsuragi pointed to the two. Eri bowed once her name was called while Keima continued gaming.

"Nice to meet you two! Especially Keima-kun!"

Mio cringed at the unnecessary part added by her mother. Despite not looking, she could tell her mother pointed that statement to her instead of Katsuragi.

"Hm? Keima, do you already know Mio-chan?" Mom Katsuragi asked.

"Yes! We're schoolmates although she's in a different section than me and Nii-sama."

Eri answered in behalf of his still-gaming brother. After hearing Eri's answer, Mrs. Aoyama turned to her daughter, who was still looking away.

"Are you now? It must be hard for the two of you then. Tell me Mio, who confessed first?"

Mom Katsuragi and Eri made a shocked expression, Keima continued gaming, although in a disturbed pace, and Mio did a spit-take. Seeing everyone's reactions puzzled Mrs. Aoyama. Did she say something that wasn't supposed to be said?

"Hm? Katsuragi-san. You didn't know Keima-kun is Mio's boyfriend?"

"W-w-what!?" Mio immediately lashed out.

After recovering from her shock, Mom Katsuragi quickly embraced her son while comically crying tears of joy. Keima's complaints were drowned out by his mother's spouts of "I'm proud of you" and familiar phrases.

"Mom! I told you he's not my b-b-boyfriend!"

"You did?"

Mio could tell her mother wasn't taking her seriously. Grumbling something incomprehensible, she let gravity take over and slammed her head down on the wooden table.

"Well, I better get back to the counter now, customers might arrive any time! I'll leave you kids alone now!" Mrs. Aoyama said.

"Oh, that reminds me! I need to do my grocery now!"

The two mothers cast their respective kids knowing looks before leaving them alone in a heavily awkward state. After a few seconds of silence, Eri took out a pen and a piece of paper and wrote something on it. Mio watched the younger Katsuragi pass the note to her brother. Not knowing what message needed to be relayed privately, she decided to ignore the siblings altogether, opting to stare outside the glass again.

* * *

-Nii-sama, what now?-

Keima read the note her sister passed on to him. He turned off his console and took out his pen to write a reply on the note which was then returned to Eri.

-Just stand by. I'll notify you if I need you to do anything.-

* * *

Mio couldn't help herself from sneaking in some glances at the now-gaming Katsuragi. Although it's true that she told herself that associating with the Otamegane of Mai High would only bring down her reputation further, the blonde girl was unable to shake the feeling that the commoner before him was someone supposedly important. Ever since her meeting with him in the school corridor the last week, her memories started acting up, but it didn't start there. There was always the urge to whip him but she held it back.

"Oi, commoner."

Mio called out. Irritated that the gamer ignored her, she felt her free hand creep down onto her death lash, almost as if it had a mind of its own. One more wrong move and she'll let him have it.

"Just so you know, I don't l-l-like you or anything, alright!? Ignore what my mother says!"

"That so? That's too bad."

The blonde girl's ears perked up upon hearing the gamer's response. Was he… taunting her? Oh, he better not be!

Wait.

Too bad?

Even with the mocking tone the guy used, Mio felt her face heat up considerably upon hearing the words Keima muttered. Her face lit up even further when he stopped playing and turned his gaze unto her,

"W-wha-what!? What do you mean that's too bad!?"

"Well… that's because I like you."

Eri gasped at his brother's statement. Keima in turn, braced himself for the whip, but it never came. He returned his gaze unto the girl and immediately saw her staring at him with a blanked expression.

Upon hearing the gamer's words, Mio felt the familiar sharp pain in her head return, accompanied by flashes of memories returning.

 _"I like you. Please go out with me."_

Mio watched the scene unfold in her mind. The same scene that she consistently saw in her dreams, but this time, it had a major difference. The boy who confessed to her in the school gates had a now-clear face instead of the blur she always saw. The boy had brown messy hair and wore glasses, just like the boy in front of her.

There was no mistake, it was Katsuragi Keima. And he had just confessed to her for the second time.

Mio stood up from her seat and approached Keima, who was still on guard. She stood in front of the gamer who had cold sweat trailing on his back.

"You… you're that commoner who confessed to me before…"

She stated in a dangerously ghostly voice, sending cold shivers in Keima's spine.

"Y-yes…?"

As if to answer Keima's question, she slowly raised her face, revealing two red lights in place of her eyes and a smile that could be likened to a crescent moon rotated ninety degrees counter-clockwise. Keima gulped as he saw the lethal aura in front of him.

"What nerve to confess twice… Know your place, commoner!"

And the long awaited whipping of the day finally happened. Eri watched the small blonde girl swing her death lash at her defenseless brother, who was literally crawling away from the infuriated Mio. But upon closer inspection, Mio didn't seem so infuriated at all; she was smiling.

The assault on the gamer continued as Mio chased Keima inside the store, and for the first time in the past few days, she was able to smile. Now she knew why she wanted to whip the shameless guy. Finally cornering Keima, she raised her weapon and prepared to swing it down, but stopped midway, much to the gamer's relief.

 _"This size is too much for a gamer to handle!"_

Mio saw yet another flashback in her mind. In it was once again Katsuragi in place of the blurred out face, and he was lying down on the road complaining. And he was wearing some kind of chauffeur's hat for some reason. But the main point of the scene is that Mio unleashed her whip on him that time too, just like what she was doing now.

"M-Mio?"

Keima attempted to reach out to her, but she stepped back immediately.

"Stay back! I don't need your co- oof!"

Mio bumped her back onto one of the shelves, and because of her heels, she immediately lost balance. She fought back though, and waved her arms in the air frantically to search for something to grip. But alas, she found none and felt the sensation of falling down. Closing her eyes in anticipation of the solid ground crashing into her, she instead felt something soft but sturdy catch her small frame.

"Are you alright?"

The proud Aoyama looked up and immediately saw Keima's face and felt his arms wrapped around her. He caught her. Catching herself staring at the gamer who prevented her from falling down, she felt a small blush appear on her face which did not go unnoticed by the brown-haired gamer, causing him to avert his eyes.

"Oh my. I had no idea you were this close…"

The two teenagers' gaze quickly turned to the direction of the voice they had just heard, and the first thing to meet their eyes was the sight of their mothers giggling their hearts out. The blonde's face immediately turned full scarlet in response and she began squirming uncontrollably.

"G-GET OFF!"

Mio quickly pushed Keima away and stormed off to the employee's room, leaving Keima struggling to regain his balance. Luckily for him, his sister grabbed his arm.

* * *

"Come back again! Don't keep my daughter waiting now, Keima-kun!"

Mrs. Aoyama waved at the Katsuragi family as they exited the store in high spirits for different reasons. Mari in particular, was proud of her son in blissful ignorance.

"Still, I never thought you'd get such a pretty girlfriend, Keima!"

The mother of the two Katsuragi congratulated Keima, who was now gaming.

"But mother, she's not Nii-sama's girlfriend…"

"… yet."

Mari felt a little disheartened at Eri's answer but her excitement returned when Keima finished his sister's statement. Resisting to hug her "all grown up" son, she resorted to giggling uncontrollably.

"Well now, I still have some grocery shopping to do. Take your sister home now, my _young man_!"

And with that statement, their mother disappeared. Keima began walking towards their house's direction with Eri following him.

"Wow, Nii-sama! The conquest is going very smoothly!" Eri remarked cheerfully.

"Yeah. Honestly, I'm surprised myself." Keima replied without stopping hitting buttons.

"And it also seemed like Mio-san remembers you!"

The God of Conquests now stopped playing and turned to his sister.

"Half-correct. Based on my observations, when Mio experiences an event that is similar to one of the events that happened on the original conquest, then she'll regain that certain memory."

Keima explained. Mio did remember the things that happened in her original conquest when faced with the correct stimulus. She almost immediately remembered the Keima's first confession when he told her that he likes her. The same thing happened with the whipping.

"So… we'll have to re-do her original conquest?"

Keima nodded in response to her sister's inquiry. Resuming his game, the God of Conquests started formulating new plans for the conquest. He needs to think up events that are similar yet different from the ones he employed before. But being her driver again would be quite far-fetched. To begin with, her original chauffeur returned to the Aoyama family's services, so he can't just employ himself. There was also the problem with the party, since he knows nothing about the real's events. The school's Christmas party was also far away so that was out of the question.

"Eri? Katsuragi?"

Keima's thought processes were interrupted upon hearing a female voice behind them. Turning around, he saw the figure of one of his classmates standing behind them, the Mai-High Unguided Missile and the host of the Goddess, Mercury.

"Ayumi-san!"

Eri immediately greeted her bandmate, jumping towards her and hugging her. After a few moments of cuddling the runner, Eri finally released her grasp. Taking the opportunity, Keima pocketed his PFP, which he somehow managed to pull out and play in the time that his sister leaped at their classmate.

"What are you doing here, Ayumi?" Keima asked.

"Can't you be any more impolite? As you can see, I'm running an errand."

The Missile girl replied, pointing to the unnoticed bag of groceries she was holding. Keima acknowledged her stuff and returned to gaming, annoying Ayumi but she managed to shrug it off with a sigh. Such an act was typical for the Otamega.

"Anyway… Eri, any plans for the dance? Oh sweet, it rhymed. Chihiro said it'd be nice if the 2-B Pencils could play a couple of songs…"

Keima's ears instantly picked up the words Ayumi had said and stopped his gaming.

"Wait, what dance?" He asked.

Ayumi stared at him in disbelief for a while before seemingly realizing something.

"Um, hello? The school dance? Well, of course you wouldn't know about it."

Keima decided to ignore that part of his classmate's sentence. Of course he knew about the school dance, he just didn't know when it was happening. Ayumi continued her explanation after a while.

"The Mai High school dance is next week by the way. Although I'm not expecting you to invite me to dance or anything… it'd be nice if you'll attend unlike last year."

Ayumi said with a slight blush on her face.

"Last year? How'd you know I was absent last year?" Keima asked a question for the nth time.

"Oh, come on. Everybody knew you were absent. You were like, the only one who didn't attend!"

The runner remarked with a chuckle. Keima could have sworn he heard Eri comment something like "Typical Nii-sama". Things quieted down after a while, allowing the runner to notice that she was smiling at Keima the whole time, causing him to look away while she blushed a little.

"Anyway, I should be going now. I'm still in trouble with my parents because of you after all…"

Ayumi said, slightly fidgeting.

"I see. Thanks for the info, Ayumi. See ya."

"See you tomorrow, Ayumi-san!"

The Katsuragi siblings said before Ayumi smiled at them and dashed back to her home. Keima pulled out his PFP with a smile on his face. Elated that the girls seemed to be doing alright, he continued his way home after signaling Eri to do the same.

"School dance, huh? How highly convenient."

* * *

"Gah!"

Mio shouted while her face was buried into her pillow. The encounter with Katsuragi annoyed her to no end. But deny as much as she liked, she definitely enjoyed his visit. Still feeling the blush in her face after the situation she literally got tangled into, the proud Aoyama gripped her head with both hands and screamed into the poor pillow again.

But after all that screaming, a person somehow finds enlightenment, and Mio was no exception. Perhaps the reason Katsuragi pretended to not know her was because she rejected him so coldly? That can't be right. Normally, one would reject a complete stranger's confession. To go as far as pretending to forget refueled Mio's urge to whip him.

Whip.

Another memory she regained was of her whipping Katsuragi in the streets. Despite thinking her brain out, the scene remained completely inexplicable. Recalling their conversations, she could tell that they definitely knew each other at that point but according to her memories, that event occurred _after_ his original confession. Something beside the rejection must have caused him to distance himself. He did say he still likes her himself after all. That explains why Yui and Tsukiyo, her classmates, would suddenly ask her what she thinks of him, although the fact that they at the very least are acquainted with him is somewhat suspicious.

"Ugh, why am I even stressing myself out because of that lousy commoner…"

"There there, my daughter. We all know you think of Keima-kun all the time…"

And her mother appeared with a teasing smile.

"I do not!" Mio instantly lashed out in response.

Shooing her mother away and reminding herself to never mutter things out loud when her mother was present, the twintailed girl felt a little blush return on her face upon recalling the day's events because of her mother.

Katsuragi was technically embracing her. And their mothers saw them.

"You remembered your little moment earlier didn't you?'

Poor girl. Her mother just wouldn't stop teasing her. Giving up on being left alone, Mio returned to where she was seated before. She had expended the majority of her energy already and since her mother wouldn't stop anyway, the girl let her mother be.

"You know, the Katsuragi family has a café… want to come visit?"

…

"NO!"

* * *

 **I just reread some parts of the manga... ah, good times... good times... I remember when I read the first chapter due to a fellow otaku friend suggesting it. The nostalgia is overwhelming.**

 **Hmm... next chapter will probably take a while, college and stuff...**

 **So, don't hesitate to leave some reviews!**

 **Kara out. :)**


	7. Chapter 7: Countdown to The Fall

**Hey hey! Kara here, with the seventh chapter of Last Dance!**

 **Wow, it's been a little more than a week, sorry for taking a while. Several things made me busy. Yeah, I'm looking at you, college! (Even though I mostly used up my free time watching anime and reading manga)**

 **Anyways, I'll keep this note short so on to the story!**

* * *

 **-5 days before the dance-**

The sun was shining down on the apartment on one peaceful day in the peaceful (?) city of Maijima. A certain blonde girl raised from her bed a few seconds after a ray of sunlight passed struck her face. Almost automatically, she stood up and headed towards the bathroom. She emerged minutes later, her previously messy hair now in its usual twintail style, albeit slightly damp. After she changed into her Mai High uniform and organized her stuff, she finally proceeded outside where the cool morning wind brushed past her small frame. Aoyama Mio was now ready for the week's first day of school. She now proceeded to enter the car of her late father's chauffeur.

Only, there was no car.

"Hey Mom, where's Morita?"

Mio asked her mother, who was still inside the apartment, after looking around for a while. A few seconds later, her mom walked out of the house.

"Don't you remember? Morita's on leave until Thursday."

The twintailed girl looked through her memories to find out what her mother was talking about. True enough, the chauffeur was going to take a four day long leave, something he informed them about the day before. But due to the hectic events that occurred in the past few days, mostly concerning Keima, Mio's brain decided to block out the information regarding the leave.

But how was she going to get to school? Before she could ask about that though, her mother raised her right hand and pointed her index finger towards the sky, indicating she has a plan.

"But don't worry. Several… arrangements have been made. You will not be walking to school."

Mrs. Aoyama said with a slight snicker. Seeing her daughter's puzzled expression, she slyly pointed towards the direction opposite of where Mio was facing.

The daughter of the Aoyama family turned her body one hundred and eighty degrees, allowing her to see what her mother was pointing at.

 _"Good Morning, Oujo-sama! Please allow me to take you to school!"_

A short flashback played in Mio's mind as she saw Keima standing in front of her, although he wasn't wearing the goofy chauffeur hat like before. His commoner-quality bike was also beside him. Mio felt a wave of nostalgia fill her being as she gazed upon the familiar scene.

"Hey, Mio. I'll be taking you to and from school this week."

He had done this before. Back when Morita temporarily quit, Keima had volunteered to be his replacement. He used a bicycle to pull varying carriages which, according to Mio's opinion, became weirder and weirder every day. Of course, a few seconds of migraine came with the resurfacing memories, making the blonde girl almost lose her balance. She was able to regain her footing though, which was something she silently congratulated herself for. There was absolutely no need to end up in another embarrassing situation that involves a certain Otamegane.

"Hmph, no carriage this time?"

Mio asked with a slightly mocking tone.

"Sorry about that. Please ride on the back seat instead."

The temp-chauffeur replied. At first, Mio was willing to go along with it for the sake of arriving at school on time, but after realizing that she'd basically be in direct contact with the gamer, her face exploded into a deep crimson color. When riding a bike's back seat, the passenger is almost required to cling to the cyclist in order to avoid falling off. The mental image of herself leaning on Keima's back sent her brain on overdrive, sending out steam everywhere. Well, riding a commoner's vehicle was also a reason for the refusal.

"W-w-what!? No! There is no way I'll accept that!"

Mio frantically rejected the idea of the ride, causing Keima to sigh. She had also refused the last time, but the God of Conquests knew that then and now's reasons are a tad different. In one corner, Mrs. Aoyama was helping herself to the scene unfolding in front of her, giggling to her heart's content.

"Hey, you're going to be late now. Just accept his offer, Mio. We both know you won't make it if you walk."

Mio's mother said after a while. Her daughter seemed to calm down in a few moments. Realizing that her mother's right, Mio sighed in defeat. She walked towards Keima and gestured to him that she's ready to go, all while averting her gaze towards nowhere in particular.

"We're off then."

Keima got on the bicycle with Mio following shortly. After a friendly wave towards his passenger's mother, he started pedaling towards the school's direction.

During the entire trip, Mio retained her luminescent blush and refused to utter a single word. Her right hand was clinging onto the back of Keima's uniform and she maintained a good three centimeters away from the gamer. The ride brought back more memories for Mio, but she opted to remain silent about it. There was nothing to gain from discussing such topics after all.

After several minutes, the two finally arrived at the front gates of Mai High. Immediately after the bike finished decelerating, Mio jumped off from the back seat and walked away wordlessly, ignoring Keima who was desperately gasping for air.

"I'll… pick… you… …up here… after school…"

Keima said in between pants. His voice was weak but still enough for Mio to hear. The blonde girl stopped walking after her temp-chauffeur finished his words. A smile made its way on her face but she didn't turn around so that Keima wouldn't find out. She began walking again but just before she exited his hearing range, she spoke in a calm and pleasing voice.

"Don't be late then."

* * *

 **-4 days before the dance-**

The day went by quickly for Keima, who was currently on his way to the school gates to pick Mio up and take her to her home. The last day, he arrived ten minutes earlier than her so there was no point in rushing towards the meeting place. The God of Conquests walked at a steady pace of one kilometer per hour while rapidly hitting buttons on his beloved PFP.

Perhaps it was the sheer thrill that he felt upon finally being able to play his galges that the thought of arriving at the gates before Mio instantly escaped from his mind. His walking speed quickly dwindled until he was simply just standing in the middle of the corridors playing his games. Minutes passed, and the sky turned into a bright orange color. The sun has now set.

Later that day, an article was released on the Mai High Newspaper about a certain bespectacled boy being chased around the campus by a whip-wielding girl.

* * *

 **-3 days before the dance-**

"Katsuragi, don't you dare be late like yesterday."

Mio said with a huff before walking off towards her classroom, leaving her exhausted temp-chauffeur behind.

"Wow, Nii-sama. You really annoyed her this time…"

Eri whispered to her brother after emerging from behind the gates. Due to the pitiful state the gamer was in, the former demon found no response to her statement. Wordlessly, Keima parked his bicycle besides the gate's wall and attached its lock before making his way towards his own classroom, with his sister following behind him.

Keima sat down on his chair, still gaming. The minutes ticked by as everyone waited patiently, with Eri talking to her band mates and along with them, holding usually one-sided conversations with her brother. Classes started as usual after that point. Keima continued to play his games until the bell rang, signaling the start of lunch. One by one, the students of class 2-B left the room, with some staying behind for reasons Keima didn't care about. After a few more minutes of gaming, the God of Conquests stood up from where he was seated and prepared to leave the room.

"Ne, Katsuragi. Where ya headed?"

An all too familiar voice asked him before he managed to exit the room. Of course, the voice belonged to none other than Takahara Ayumi. Keima turned his head sideways before replying to the person who apparently initiated a conversation with him.

"Gonna check on Mio."

Ayumi felt a little pang at her chest due to Keima's reply, but she smiled at him instead. Mel has already explained the full situation to her and she decided to not get in the way of the bespectacled boy. Although there was still the feeling that he deserved a good kick for some reason.

"Oh, I see. Good luck then."

The runner said with a grin, which was met with a quick "thanks", along with an unexpected smile. Ayumi felt some heat rise up to her face upon seeing the gamer's smile, causing her to turn away. Keima returned to walking out of the room after the little chat, but right as he passed through the door's frame, his gaze fell on a certain girl who seemed to also stop walking to avoid bumping into him.

"Hm? Oh hey, Katsuragi. Going for a walk? That's… unusual…"

The unrestrained voice of Kosaka Chihiro snapped Keima back to Earth. How long had he been staring? The vocalist of the 2-B Pencils didn't seem to mind though, casually flicking a finger in front of the gamer's face to snap him out of his daze.

"Chihiro. Yeah, I'm… gonna get some air." Keima replied.

"Oh, then can you get me some pork buns on the way?"

Chihiro straight-up asked with a huge smile. Keima felt a little awkward seeing this previous conquest smile at him like that. Even though they made up a few weeks ago, he still feels guilty for the things he did to her and the other girls, despite most of them saying they're fine.

"No, I'm not your errand boy. Later."

Keima said before finally walking out of the room's area.

"Geez, I was just kidding… wonder what's with him…" Chihiro mumbled in a slightly grumbling tone.

"Chihiro-san! Ayumi-san! Miyako-san! Nii-sama!"

The call of the recently arrived Eri startled the band leader, almost causing her to jump up in surprise. After being asked by the firetruck fanatic about the whereabouts of her brother and replying to the question with the phrase "on a walk". Almost on impulse, Eri prepared to bolt out of the room to chase after Keima but she was interrupted when Ayumi lightly held her on the shoulder to stop her. The runner girl then whispered something to her, to which Eri replied with an obedient nod. Chihiro had no idea what her friend just said, but since it caused the loveable bassist to abolish her plans of following Keima, she decided to not pursue the case any further.

* * *

The sound of students creating a ruckus in front of the outdoor bakery filled the air as numerous customers desperately called for the shopkeeper's attention while holding their money up high, ignoring the very concept of a "line". A few meters away from the riot, Mio was sitting down on a bench that was conveniently shaded by a tree. She unwrapped her Omusoba bread and started nibbling on it rather gracefully, in sharp contrast to the squeezing around she did in order to get in front of the store. Being small does have its advantages after all.

Her private lunch was put to an end however, when she spotted a certain bespectacled boy walking towards her direction. She turned away in the hopes that he'll fail to see her, but the action proved futile when the boy seemingly spotted her and started to walk faster.

"W-what are you doing here?"

The blonde asked with as much pride she could muster as soon as the gamer arrived at the space directly in front of her.

"Well… I was hoping we could eat lunch together…"

Mio's ears perked up upon hearing Keima's reply, but she was able to retain her composure rather impressively.

"Ha! Don't get carried away, commoner."

The sentence sounded a bit ruder than Mio had planned, but she shrugged off her concern upon seeing absolutely no change in the gamer's expression. The proud Aoyama felt a little irritated at the aloof aura her supposed suitor was exhibiting. He was supposed to be depressed!

"Hm… I suppose I can let you eat beside me… B-but just this once, you hear me!?"

Mio's tone started off cool and collected, but immediately became flustered right after she heard her own statement. Seeing as the gamer thanked her and sat down a few inches away on the same bench, she decided to calm herself down. Keima pulled out a pork bun from his bag and for the next few minutes, the two ate their respective lunches in awkward silence. Mio was the first to finish eating. The blonde girl attempted to start a conversation, but she failed every time she tried. Luckily for her, Keima decided to talk.

"Hey, Mio. Are you going to attend the dance on Friday?"

'Hm? Yeah I wi- wait, hold on! You're planning something, aren't you?" Mio answered and then questioned the gamer defensively.

"Yeah, I guess…" Keima replied rather sheepishly.

The blonde felt a little blush appear on her face, but for the first time, she made no attempt to hide it. For a moment, Keima saw a glimpse of an Aoyama Mio genuinely smiling without holding back. She was being true to herself during that short while, and the God of Conquests managed to catch that short time period. A smile formed on Keima's face upon seeing the usually defensive girl with a sweet expression, although the two quickly turned away blushing upon realizing that they have been staring and smiling at each other. Several seconds later, Mio stood up and after a little stretching, she turned towards Keima.

"I'm going back now. Don't be late later or else."

Still with a slight smile on her face, Mio mock-threatened her temp-chauffeur. Admit it or not, Keima knows that the small Aoyama can be a really cute girl when she's being honest with what she truly feels. But despite remaining a haughty and arrogant brat at times, she's steadily improving to be a more humble person, thanks to the once-forgotten conquest she now partially remembers. Looking at Mio once more, he slowly made a smile.

"Don't worry. I won't."

* * *

 **-2 days before the dance-**

"Nii-sama… Can I ask you something?"

Eri asked her brother. Said brother was on his throne in his God of Conquests mode. The bassist of the 2-B Pencils didn't get an immediate response as usual, and so in the period of time before her brother would answer, she managed to several things like cleaning the room, watching Keima's games and running around the room while making siren noises.

"What is it, Eri?"

Keima finally replied, already annoyed by his sister's noise pollution. There was no he'd let her distract his gaming anymore. It was already dark outside and in a few hours, they'll have to go to school again. Entertaining his sister's concerns seemed like the most efficient way to get more time to play his games.

"You see… it's about the dance… am I going to have to be a maid again? Eri asked, fidgeting.

The former demon kept stuttering for a few more seconds, almost making Keima's patience run out. Fortunately, she managed to get a hold of herself just in time. Eri pulled her arms down and clenched her fists tightly. She directed her gaze at her brother with a very determined expression, although her face had a faint blush on it.

"Nii-sama, I want to wear a dress too!"

Keima was a little startled at his sister's request. She wore a maid uniform during Mio's original conquest, so perhaps she wants to experience wearing a dress during the dance. No, scratch that, she _really_ wants to. Eri's blush grew upon seeing her brother staring at her and she returned to fidgeting with her fingers in no time at all. The God of Conquests let out a sigh. Somewhere, deep down, he liked seeing his sister happy, even though she just recently gained that title. But it's not that he'll ever admit _that_ though.

"… do what you want."

He answered quietly. He had a small blush in his face, but he quickly managed to hide it by turning his body towards the multi-screens. His sister, on the other hand, took several minutes to process her brother's reply. She felt her lips form into a huge grin, but she did nothing to resist it. Instead, she went to his brother's side and leapt at him with a wide embrace.

"Nii-sama! You're the best!"

Eri kept squeezing her brother, despite his complaints and resistance. She let go after a around a minute, leaving his brother gasping for air. She looked at him with an apologetic smile as he inhaled large amounts of air. Acting as if nothing happened at all, Keima started to once again hitting his six controllers. His sister watched him for a while, before her face lit up in realization of something seemingly important.

"Hehe… I caught you this time, Nii-sama!"

* * *

 **-The day before the dance-**

A bicycle ridden by a brown haired boy wearing glasses and a blonde twintailed girl passed through the somewhat silent streets of Maijima. The whooshing sound of the air around the moving bike and the flapping of small birds' wings as they moved away from the path accompanied the golden-orange tinge of the streets, reflecting the hue of the similarly-colored afternoon sky.

Mio kept silent as Keima pedaled to keep the bicycle in motion. Unlike the first day, when she was on edge and had a frown on her the entire trip, she was relatively relaxed this time around. Her right hand lightly gripped the back of Keima's uniform, while she let her read rest on his back, her twin blonde tails dancing freely in the wind. But what was most different with her that time was the sad expression on her face. Over the course of the past days, even though she was unable to say what she really feels inside in front of other people, she managed to at least be honest with herself. And she knew exactly what made her feel so downtrodden.

It was already the fourth and final day of Keima as Mio's substitute chauffeur. Her special time alone with him is nearing its end.

Of course, everything must have an end. And man has no power to change that.

"Everything alright, Mio?"

Mio heard her driver ask, but she opted to remain leaning on his back. She stayed silent for a few seconds before she managed to open her mouth.

'Of course. Why do you ask?"

She managed to answer in her usual confident and sure tone. But if Keima was to turn around right at that moment, he'll immediately be able to tell that her expression and her answer don't match at all.

"Well… unlike the past few days, your aura seemed different. When I picked you up and dropped you off this morning, you gave me half-hearted greetings. Usually you'd berate me for being five seconds late or you'd threaten me to be on time. And when I picked you up this afternoon, you didn't say a word at all."

The blonde Aoyama seemed a little surprised at the detailed report of her driver, but she returned to staring at the moving ground beneath them upon realizing that they were actually just obvious things. Of course he'd think she's strange, her actions almost seemed like a sign saying "I'm depressed" stuck on her head.

"Oh, is that so…?"

She managed to form a small smile upon speaking. Perhaps she really was being strange. Why would she even feel sad to begin with? He was just a temporary driver who confessed to her _twice._ That's all he's supposed to be in the first place, and that's all he's ever going to be.

But why does that fact sting so much?

"Ne, Katsuragi… "

Mio called out quietly to her temporary chauffeur.

"…do you really love me?"

The air around them became dead silent as soon as the words reached Keima's ears. He already knew what to say in reply. He already foresaw this flag and pooled together several game dialogues to choose from. He'll reply with a positive reply and the conquest will advance.

That's right, what he's doing right now is for the sake of the conquest. Nothing more.

But as soon as he opened his mouth to say the line he's rehearsed many times before, the only thing that came out was a gush of air.

And right at that moment, several images of his previous conquests flashed through his mind, hampering his ability to speak. He made those girls fall in love with him because he _had_ to, not because he _wanted_ to. The memory-erasing of New Hell proved to be beneficial, although with questionable results.

The images continued to appear, culminating in the hurt faces of Tenri and Chihiro.

Keima was speechless. He may be uncaring and indifferent at times, but he never had any desire to hurt anyone. That's why when he had no choice but to hurt those girls, he was torn inside. And the answer he was planning to give Mio was nothing more than a lie, just like how he lied to the others. Ayumi, Chihiro, Tenri, Yui, Shiori, Tsukiyo, Kanon. They were the girls who suffered most because of him.

He may not have a chance to look at the girl behind him right now, but he could tell she was waiting for an answer. Should he just tell her the truth, and jeopardize the conquest? Or lie, and add yet another name to the list of girls he involuntarily played with?

"Did you say something?"

Keima chose to pretend. He wasn't lying, but he also wasn't saying the truth. He internally cursed himself for choosing such a cowardly answer.

"W-wha… Forget it! It's nothing important!"

Mio quickly gained a heavy blush and her eyes widened for the first time that day. With a huff, she turned her head sideways, although she remained leaning her head on Keima's back.

Keima managed to smile weakly after his passenger had just returned to her tsundere personality. Times with Mio were sometimes painful, but they were also lively. It's not that he was a fan of all that energy, but it was still a nice respite.

A few more minutes later and they arrived at the front of the Aoyama family's apartment. Keima let Mio down before parking the bike by the sidewalk.

"Good job."

The twintailed girl said nonchalantly before starting to walk towards her house's front door. But right when she was in front of the small stone gate, she stopped walking. Without turning around to face Keima, she raised her head and started to speak.

"Katsuragi… thank you."

Keima had expected that she'll say something like that. It was her dere side surfacing. But nonetheless, he was still shocked to hear such words come from the mouth of Aoyama Mio. Based on past experiences, real girls may have archetypes similar to game heroines, but they rarely follow game logic. A real girl can change, and Keima was at that moment, a witness to one achieving that feat.

Mio turned her head around so that Keima can clearly see her expression, revealing a sincere and natural smile. The golden afternoon sunlight peeked from behind her blonde hair as she slowly rotated her body. The sight was enough to make Keima blush slightly and avert his gaze.

"G-glad to be… of service…"

The moderately flustered gamer replied. He returned a smile to the blonde girl before mounting his bicycle.

"Well then, I'll see you around."

Keima said as he kicked the bike stand up.

"Hey. I-it's not like I want you to, but you better show up at the dance tomorrow!"

Mio said, now back to her tsun side. Keima let a smile appear on his face before preparing to go home himself.

"Don't worry. I will."

She watched as he sped away on his bike, his figure rapidly becoming closer as the distance between them increased. As soon as Keima was completely out of sight, she turned around to enter the apartment with a smile plastered on her face. The girl was still troubled by the unexplained emotions she's been having, but she decided to not worry about those for now and just take a rest.

Everything will be made clear at the dance.

* * *

Keima plopped down onto his bed immediately after entering his room. After a few seconds though, he cringed at the sudden realization of what he just did. Never has he directly gone to bed upon arriving at school; he always headed to his throne without any second thoughts. But now he was having multiple thoughts that even his computer-like brain found it hard to process every single one.

Ever since he officially began Mio's re-conquest, the God of Conquests didn't feel like himself at all. Somewhat reasonable, since this was his first real-life conquest ever since the Goddess Revival mission and the whole travelling back in time thing.

At first, everything went by smoothly. He even had Yui and Tsukiyo's help in the matter. After that, he started meeting her in planned occasions. And then he began to better notice the changes in the proud Aoyama. Mio has changed so much in the past months. She learned how to be more honest with herself, and to an extent, with the people around her. She learned to accept the past, live in the present and look to the future. Sure, he's acknowledged them before when her original conquest ended, but he never got the chance to have a better nderstanding.

Keima continued to stare blankly at the ceiling for several minutes. The sky outside was already dark and the post lights have already lit up. The God of Conquests let out a sigh. Mio's conquest is nearing its end and he can go back to his normal lifestyle of playing games all the time. That's right, that's how it's supposed to be. They were never supposed to be anything at all in the first place. The only reason he approached her was because she had a loose soul, and his life depended on getting it out of her. And then New Hell modified her memory.

Now he had to approach her again because of the possibility that she holds a Goddess. By re-conquering her, the Goddess should regain enough power to awaken. That's all he needs to do. After all, his mission was to reunite Ceres and the Jupiter Sisters.

But why did he hesitate earlier?

He recalled what happened this afternoon. Had he reconfirmed to Mio that he loves her, the conquest should proceed more easily. But he couldn't. He couldn't bring himself to lie to another girl. He didn't want to see another broken hearted girl's face. He couldn't tell her the truth either else he instantly fails to reawaken her Goddess.

Keima covered his face with his arm. He's just going to have to pull through. Even though he despised the idea of breaking hearts, he has no choice now. There's no room for doubts. Tomorrow, he's planning on finishing the conquest. He's going to make her fall even deeper in love with him, and then break her heart, like he did with the other Goddess hosts. It had to be done, but he won't enjoy it one bit. Tomorrow, he can return to playing games without a single care in the world. He was the God of Conquests, and he can't let anything hinder him on a conquest. Tomorrow, the last dance with the real begins.

* * *

 **...**

 **For anyone who might ask, no, the next chapter won't be the last. :)**

 **So keep those reviews coming! I love reading them!**

 **I also noticed an increase in faves, follows and views! Thanks guys! :D**

 **But, I'll probably take a while again. I have classes six days a week... T_T**

 **So wish me luck and I'll see you all in the next update!** **Kara, out.**


	8. Chapter 8: Never supposed to be

**Konbanwa! A good evening to you, dear readers! Well, some of you might not be reading this at night so...**

 **Hello once again! With me is the eight chapter of Last Dance!  
Hm... I'm sure you've noticed that the time between my updates are getting increasingly longer. For that, I apologize. There's really a lot of stuff going on right now. But of course, I'll still be updating per week. Say, probably every Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Yeah, I can do that. :)**

 **As always, thanks for the views and reviews, faves and follows! I'll never get tired of those. NEVER! So keep 'em coming!**

 **And so, on to the story!**

* * *

An ear-soothing melody danced around the slightly dimly lit but spacious hall. Accompanying the light-hearted atmosphere was the soft chattering of teenage boys and girls, dressed in their respective tuxedos and dresses and either dancing in pairs or conversing in small groups. It was now the much-awaited school dance of Maijima Private High School.

Dressed in his trademark full-white tuxedo, Katsuragi Keima walked past the groups of people in front of him. Eyes turned to him and silent comments filled the air as he passed but the God of Conquests paid them no heed. He was on a mission, a conquest, and he's going to complete it by all means necessary, despite the building anxiety within.

"Nii-sama! Wait!"

Keima turned around slightly to spot his sister struggling to catch up to him. Eri was wearing a long purple dress reminiscent of her original Hellian attire. The dress was decorated with several amethyst-colored artificial flowers. Two almost translucent straps that were wrapped around her shoulders held the dress up tightly. The elegant clothing highly emphasized the adorable aura she effortlessly lets out, although with the consequence of having restricted movement, something the former demon wasn't a fan of. Catching her breath for around ten seconds, Eri raised her head and looked expectantly at her brother. After a full minute of silence from Keima's part, the former demon smiled at her brother although her annoyance could be clearly seen.

"Well, Nii-sama? How do I look?"

Eri asked with her voice slightly louder than usual. Her brother quickly picked up on the hint and decided to answer his sister's question. Keima turned away and with a miniscule blush on the sides of his cheek, cleared his throat.

"… you look… stunning."

All the extra blood in the younger Katsuragi immediately rose up to her face at her brother's compliment. She was expecting something along the lines of "fine" and "great" but what she just heard was completely unexpected. And the fact that her brother seemed sincere about it further sent the bassist into a daze.

"Uwaa… Nii-sama… you're exaggerating…"

Eri said while fidgeting with her fingers, eyes down to ground and a face that can be most likened to a fully ripe tomato. Her brother smiled at the innocent reaction of her sister, but quickly withdrew the gesture when she turned her attention to him again.

"So… Nii-sama… You're going to conquer Mio-san tonight, right?"

A poor attempt at a change of topic, but she deserved some credit for managing to regain her composure.

"Precisely. Now, Eri. Dance with me."

Keima said with a completely straight face. Dancing with other girls, his sister included, is part of Mio's conquest. But seeing his sister's heavily flustered expression, he immediately knew that she completely misunderstood his intentions. But to the God of Conquests, it doesn't matter. This way, she didn't need to act, making it that much easier for him.

"Well… if you insist… Nii-sama…"

Eri shyly said while offering her hand to his brother, which was quickly taken. Keima pulled his sister closer and held her by the waist while he placed her left hand on his right shoulder. The siblings danced with the music playing in the background, slowly pacing back and forth several times with Keima using the dance steps Mio had taught him before. By now, Eri refused to look at her brother directly. The brother in question was fascinated by his sister's extraordinary ability to misunderstand things, making him think about their "date" before. But under all that embarrassment, she was truly happy and both of the siblings know it.

"Aw, how sweet!"

The younger Katsuragi's ears perked up after hearing the interrupting remark, immediately letting go of Keima. She, alongside her brother, turned to the direction of where the voice came from and as per their expectations their gazes fell upon the other members of the 2-B Pencils, with the comment courtesy of the band leader, Chihiro. Eri proceeded to call out the names of her band mates in surprise while Keima acknowledged them with a nod. Surprisingly, Yui didn't leap at him, much to his relief. It would be really bad should Mio see such an event but it seemed that the drummer understood the situation well enough. However, she did grab his hand and then forced him to dance with her for a short while, much to his annoyance and complaints.

As the band members chatted with each other, Keima took the opportunity to examine the girls' appearances. Ayumi was wearing an orange dress with maple leaf-shaped marks of the same color, albeit with a darker shade and some glitters so as to remain visible. The outfit reached down to below her knees, revealing a small portion of her slightly tanned legs. Chihiro's dress, on the other hand, had varying shades of blue accentuated with short diagonal teal lines, reminiscent of pouring rain. She also had a bluish-white sash that hung around her neck loosely. Her outfit brought back memories of her conquest for Keima, temporarily causing his chest to tighten. He turned his attention to Yui next and like expected, she was wearing a tuxedo, making him let out a sigh. Hers seemed more expensive than his however. And lastly, Miyako was wearing a plain white dress a semi-transparent stole over her shoulders. It was almost as if she didn't want to stand out at all. Typical of her.

"… as I was saying, instead of staring at us all night, why don't you just ask us to dance?"

Keima was abruptly pulled back into reality because of Ayumi's statement, her snapping her fingers in front of his face and the other girls agreeing.

"V-very well then. Shall we dance, Ayumi?"

The God of Conquests asked, to which the runner girl nodded in agreement without looking at him. A blush appeared on Ayumi's face as Keima took her half-heartedly outstretched hand and pulled her closer, much like how he did with Eri.

Ayumi raised her head up as soon as Keima led with the dance, making her look at him in the eyes. From her position, she could clearly see his eyes are the same as always: calm and serious. But the runner knew that her classmate is a master of manipulating his outward appearance. Only God knows what emotions Keima might be hiding behind those eyes. However, as they moved back and forth under the music's embrace, Ayumi spotted something different about Keima. His expression may be the same but upon closer inspection, she can see that one end of his lips slightly curled upwards, indicating at the possible existence of a suppressed smile.

"W-what?"

Keima asked with a slight blush. Ayumi smiled at his question and slightly shook her head in response. She could feel her heart skipping several beats as they danced. Just because she said that she has now given up on him doesn't mean that her feelings have subsided. But she's already pledged to never let it escalate any further. Sure, her first love ending like that may be tragic, but frankly, there's nothing she can do. From now on, she decided that she'll just support him on whatever it is that he wants to do, because even though he won't admit it, they are already friends. And supporting each other is what friends are for, even though he may be a total jerk at times.

A few minutes later, they stopped dancing. In the physical realm, she let go of his hand but in Ayumi's heart, she let go of him. As of that moment, Ayumi's first love is over. But instead of moping, she optimistically smiled at the friend she just danced with and thanked him. The future is bright, and the Mai High Unguided Missile is ready to chase after it without any regrets.

Ayumi then headed behind Chihiro and pushed her towards Keima despite her friend's complaints. The vocalist couldn't do anything to stop the force pushing her forward. As soon as Chihiro was in front of gamer, Ayumi whispered something inaudible to her and retreated back. The brown haired girl looked up at Keima, and immediately upon seeing his face, she looked away, a blush forming on her face.

"Y-you can dance with me if you want…"

Chihiro said with a huff while offering her right hand. The God of Conquests gladly took her hand and he dragged her into the same position he had with Eri and Ayumi earlier. Keima started to lead the dance and Chihiro followed shortly after. For the first few minutes, the two shuffled forwards, backwards and sideways in awkward silence, the music and their footsteps being the only audible sounds around them. The band leader looked up to see Keima's eyes averted sideways, unlike during his dance with his sister and Ayumi. Was he still guilty for what he did? Chihiro could tell that he was. He may have broken her heart in a very brutal fashion, but she knows part of the reason why he did. At the very least, she knows that he didn't want to do it and that he did it to protect her. The simple fact that Keima cares about her is enough.

"Ne, Katsuragi…"

Chihiro broke the silence with a small voice, although loud enough for her partner to hear. She stuttered a little before she finally managed to resume speaking.

"… Thank you."

Keima felt a little heat rise up to his cheeks upon hearing what Chihiro had just said.

"Eh? For what?" He asked, completely puzzled.

Chihiro stayed silent for a while. In a few seconds, she sighed at the cluelessness of the guy in front of him. Turning away, she began mumbling something.

"… I don't know… for actually caring, I guess?"

Confused as he was, Keima didn't pry further and simply smiled at her as they continued to dance, now without the awkward atmosphere. They were both smiling, as sign that no hard feelings were between them. A few minutes later, the pair stopped moving and let go of each other.

"Darling! My turn!"

Yui exclaimed as soon as Keima and Chihiro returned to their spot. The other band members let out suppressed laughs, confusing the drummer.

"Yui, we're both wearing tuxedos. And you already danced with me against my will earlier."

Keima said in a matter-of-fact way. Taking a full ten seconds, Yui donned a look of realization and sheepishly scratched the back of her head, much to the amusement of the other people present. Keima sighed and looked at Miyako, who slightly jumped up from the contact with the gamer's sharp gaze. As the organist responded with a simple "I'll pass", Keima opted to reply with a smile as he pondered the next parts of his plan.

"Nii-sama… are you going to look for Mio-san now?"

Eri asked as soon as the other 2-B Pencils members were not paying attention.

"Not yet. I still need to look for Shiori, Tsukiyo and Kanon."

He replied. The former demon sighed at the statement of her brother. By now, Eri had realized that he was using the "jealous" tactic he had told her about before. She smiled. She knows that her brother actually does want to dance with them, as a means of making up for the things he did. Walking closer towards him, she tugged on his suit to call for his attention. Upon being asked what's up, Eri pointed to a large group of people seemingly making a small ruckus.

"Nii-sama, Kanon-chan's over there!"

She pointed to the cluster of males on the other side of the hall. Upon Keima's closer inspection, he could see some Kanon in the middle with some of the school's guards holding the guys back. Keima sighed at the sight of the idol's situation. Those guys were the Nakagawa Kanon Fan Club members. The God of Conquests was left to wonder how the pink-haired idol managed to attend the dance in the first place.

"This is going to be a little difficult…"

Keima said, before flashing a very short glance at a secluded part of the area where a pair of sapphire eyes was keenly observing.

* * *

"Unbelievable!"

A certain twintailed blonde complained to no one on particular as she stomped through the crowds of people in her way, careful so as to not fall down and embarrass herself because of her high heels. She was fuming. She had just witnessed his former temporary chauffeur dance with at least four other girls as soon as she entered the hall, although she recognized one of them as his sister. She also saw Yui dancing with him although the tuxedo she was wearing made her think for a second that Keima was dancing with _another guy._

 _"…en so… "_

But as soon as she thought he was going to approach her next, he instead made his way through a thick mass of guys who surprisingly made way for him, although with lethally hostile expressions. A peeved Mio watched Keima take the hand of a very familiar pink-haired girl and after a short while, she recognized the girl as the idol, Nakagawa Kanon, wearing an elegant pink dress stylized with several small yellow ribbons.

 _"…ven so, I w…. sm… re"_

After a few minutes of dancing with the idol, Keima made his way out of the circle of guys as Kanon waved at him with a smile, a gesture he returned. Mio felt a blush creep up to her face when the gamer walked towards her direction. But her hopes were crushed when he suddenly changed direction to approach a black haired girl wearing a full green dress in one corner. Mio was able to recognize the girl as the librarian after a few seconds of her notable gray ribbons. The small Aoyama begrudgingly watched as Keima danced with the heavily flustered girl.

 _"Even so, I wa… to see… sm… more!"_

Through reasons she wouldn't admit, Mio's anger rose to its peak after witnessing Keima dance with other girls, but it only rose further when she spotted someone very familiar approach the dancing pair. It was none other than her classmate, Kujou Tsukiyo. The doll-carrying blonde was wearing an extremely elegant golden dress, several glitters adorning the high-class outfit. Tsukiyo conversed for a while with the librarian, who was now released by Keima. Part of Mio's fury dispersed upon seeing the girl Keima had danced with move back a few inches, but it quickly returned when the bespectacled gamer talked to Tsukiyo and then took her hand and danced with her, proving her suspicions of them knowing each other.

"Gah! I've had enough!"

Mio almost shouted out but fortunately, she managed to reduce it to a whispered scream. Staying true to her word, the blonde girl stormed past the dancing pairs scattered around the hall and subsequently exited the venue. She walked down the school's empty grounds away from the music-filled building but upon reaching a few meters, she abruptly stopped her movement. It was then that she decided to think about a few things.

Why was she angry in the first place?

Was she jealous? No, that couldn't be right. She didn't like Keima so why should she be?

But does she really not?

The girl began thinking back. Keima was the first one who to ever approach a haughty and stubborn girl like her, and through a confession nonetheless. During the time her father had just died, he was the one who had been by her side the entire time. He helped her keep up her facade of a wealthy lifestyle, even at the expense of his own freedom and physical energy. And when it was all enough, when there was no point in continuing the act further, he was the one who convinced her that she had done more than what was sufficient to live up to the Aoyama name. That gaming commoner was the one who helped her accept the past, and the pain of losing her father. The person that helped her move on was Katsuragi Keima.

 _"Even so, I want to see you smile more!"_

Mio felt a little smile crawl up to her face. She isn't fooling anyone but herself. Her mother can tell. His mother can tell. Her friends can as well. And probably, Keima himself can deduce the obvious fact. Perhaps the only one who can't seem to figure out why she's having all those weird emotions was herself.

She's angry that he's dancing with other girls instead of her.

She loses the ability to think rationally when he's around.

But most importantly, she wants him by her side.

The chilling night wind blew past from behind Mio's small frame, lifting her blonde twintailed hair up to dance with the sky's breath as it rustled up the leaves of nearby trees. But she didn't budge. The shock from the recent realization she had temporarily disconnected her from reality. After a few seconds, the wind quieted down, leaving only the faint music from the ball. Mio raised her head up to gaze at the glowing moon. From this point on, she will no longer lie to herself. She mentally ordered herself to start by accepting the fact that she had been denying ever since. She was indeed jealous, and she now knew why.

"... I… like… No, I love him…"

* * *

Keima continued to walk through the crowded hall, not minding the several pairs of people dancing and groups of people chatting. His sights were set on one destination.

"Nii-sama! Where are you going?" Eri, who followed her brother despite her struggles to walk, asked her brother.

"Outside." Keima immediately replied.

The former demon was puzzled. Why did he have to go outside? He was supposed to conquer Mio in the dance, so what could be the reason for exiting the hall? These thoughts prompted Eri ask her brother why he was going out, causing him to abruptly stop walking and fix his glasses.

"Eri. Let me teach you something useful."

Eri smiled. It's been a while since she heard her brother say that line.

"In an event such as a dance, the heroines will always wait for you to come up to them and ask them to a dance. However, when a heroine witnesses you dancing with other girls, they will become jealous and subsequently leave the area. Dancing with them outside will raise their love points more, if not to maximum, compared to dancing alongside the background characters."

Of course, he was once again using game logic, but Eri wouldn't have it any other way. She quickly scratched her head upon recalling the words of his brother about the heroine witnessing him dancing with other girls however. Was Mio watching them earlier? And if so, how did her brother know? Eri then laughed softly. Of course he knew. After all, he _was_ the God of Conquests.

"Nii-sama, I'll just wait here with Chihiro-san and the others."

The younger Katsuragi stated, causing her brother to look at her in confusion. After a full half-minute, Keima decided not to question his sister about her decision.

"All right. But you are prohibited from dancing with any of those guys, got it?"

Now Eri was the one confused. However, her befuddlement was cleared when she saw several guys staring at her with sparkling eyes, making her move back a few inches closer to her brother. Not long after, she felt a piercing gaze from behind, which the other guys seemingly felt too, evident by the fact that they immediately turned away.

"I'm off."

She heard her brother say. She was glad that her brother was looking out for her even though he wouldn't admit it. She smiled yet again at him as he resumed walking out of the venue. She silently wished him luck as she watched his retreating figure become increasingly smaller. Once Keima was completely out of view, she started walking to meet up with the other members of the 2-B Pencils. But she had one problem.

Eri had no idea where her bandmates are.

* * *

The faint sound of the music from the dance lightly filled the cool air around the empty grounds of the school as Katsuragi Keima walked through it in search of a certain blonde tsundere. The wind whispered alongside sounds produced by the footsteps of the gamer, rustling up some leaves in the process but such a thing didn't deter him. Corner after corner, he turned, but there was still no sign of the girl he was looking for. Could she have gone home? No, that was highly unlikely. Keima turned around to head in the opposite direction. Mio was clearly not in there.

And then he saw her.

In the corner of his eye, he managed to spot a flash of yellow. Aoyama Mio was standing there, unmoving and not saying a single word. The bespectacled gamer wasted no time and started to approach her. In a few moments, the conquest will be finished.

"Mio!"

The God of Conquests called out but the girl remained silent. He proceeded to come closer, and yet, Mio still didn't respond.

"Mio, I was loo-"

"Ne, Katsuragi… nice music, eh?"

Keima's statement was cut short by Mio's unusual question.

She turned around. In her eyes, Keima saw something. Peace, serenity, sincerity. The blonde girl in front of him currently possessed all those qualities, which he lacked. And she was smiling. The girl definitely remembered him now. All that's left for him to do is to finish the conquest.

That's right. It'll all be over soon.

The brown-haired gamer felt a little pain stab at his heart but he decided to shrug it off immediately. He always knew that it would eventually come to this point. He would make Mio fall in love with him enough that her Goddess will reawaken, and then tell her that he never loved her at all. It was a very simple plan, and one more event and it's all over.

But why was he hesitating?

"May I take this dance…?"

Keima said whilst faking a smile. As he expected, Mio didn't see through it at all and returned the gesture. She never doubted his intentions, and that fact didn't make it any easier for the God. His smile was faltering at the sight of the blonde's painfully sincere smile.

"Certainly."

Mio answered before offering her right hand to him, which he took without a second thought.

As if by coincidence, the same music that was played at the party during Mio's original conquest started filling the ambient night as the pair reassumed the positions they held back then. The melodies faintly serenaded the two as they danced under the moonlight's gaze.

They continued to twirl around beneath the blinking stars, in the same way they danced before at the party. Keima looked down to see his dance partner smiling. She was really happy, and it pained him. It pained him to see her enjoying his false love.

"Katsuragi … you asked me before what I would choose between you and the life of the wealthy, right?"

The blonde Aoyama asked, her gentle expression unchanging as their bodies moved in perfect synchronization.

"Y-yeah…"

Keima answered, managing to resist the urge to look away. Mio giggled at the sight before continuing the conversation in blissful ignorance of what was really happening within the gamer.

"Then you probably know my answer… since we already…"

He knew _exactly_ what she wanted to say. It was the kiss. By now, Mio was blushing furiously, her movements becoming slightly erratic. Keima took a deep breath. If there was a perfect chance to finish the conquest, then it was definitely now.

Now, it all ends.

"Katsuragi…"

Keima cringed. He can tell what she's going to say next. The ending is clearly at sight and all that's left is to secure it. His heartbeat rate rose dramatically in the silence that followed Mio's words. The girl was red all over and she appeared to be doing her best in trying to say something. Something that Keima feared. It was his goal, but he was afraid of it. Even so, deep down, he caused all of what has happened, and what was about to transpire.

"… I-I love you…"

The girl in front of him had finally said it. And the boy was frozen in place.

All he needed was one move.

 _One single move_ and his mission was complete. He can go back to playing his games, just like how he had always wanted. He can resume his lifestyle as the God of Conquests. He can be Katsuragi Keima again, and all it will take is _one move_.

But he was petrified.

Mio closed her eyes as she drew her face closer to the bespectacled boy in front of her, her beet-red face ever rising in temperature. The girl was fully prepared to surrender herself to him, for the second time. Only this time around, she was the one initiating. Keima could only stare in a blank gaze as the blonde girl slowly close the gap between their faces. The God of Conquests prepared himself. The conquest was at its end.

 _"There's no way that I would like you."_

But the words from that day jolted Keima back into himself. Those were the words he said to Chihiro, and the words he used to break her heart. In a matter of time, similar words would be used to break Mio's.

Can he?

Keima internally shook his head.

He can. He _must._

He already came this far.

 _"There's no ending between you and I."_

This time, an image of the letter he gave to Tenri flashed in his mind, completely shattering whatever resolve he had to finish what he had started. He broke all these girls' hearts, and yet he had the guts to ask them to dance earlier. The girls seemingly didn't hold any grudges towards him, but he knows that all the pain he had caused isn't something that can be forgotten just like that.

Breaking hearts. Is this really the destiny of Katsuragi Keima?

Keima's thoughts were interrupted when he felt the sensation of warm air brush his skin. Mio was now milliseconds away from kissing him.

It all ends.

"Mio, I'm sorry…"

The girl in question was abruptly stopped when the boy in front of her suddenly spoke. Opening her eyes, what immediately appeared in front of her was Keima who was turned away, a painful expression of complete regret written on his face.

Mio was confused. What was he saying? Why was he apologizing? And why did he have that look? Was he not happy? Is he regretting spending time with her? Countless questions flooded her mind but she was unable to put them into words.

"But…" He continued.

She watched his mouth slowly re-open to continue where his earlier words left off. The music from the ball quieted down, leaving only painful silence between the two.

But the silence didn't prove to be long-lasting.

It was never supposed to be.

But more importantly,

 _They_ were never supposed to be.

"… I don't love you. I never did."

* * *

 **Whew, this was hard to write... _**

 **Well, we've reached the revelation? What might be next? Is Ceres finally going to make an appearance? Hm... We shall see... Mwa-ha-ha-h- *hack* *cough***

 **Goodness! Err... sorry about that.**

 **As usual, I'll be asking you to share what you think. I love reading, and I especially love helpful and entertaining reviews. You can also leave a fave if you like. I'm not pressuring you or anything. It's only if you want to... :D**

 **Thank you for reading my story up until now minna-san. It means a lot. ^_^**

 **So then, I'll see you in the next update. Kara, out.**

 **...**

 **Oh by the way, anyone else find it weird that Onepunch-man received a huge popularity spike only after the anime aired? I mean, does really few people read manga nowadays?**


	9. Chapter 9: Breakdown

**Hey now, it's me again! First of all, I'm sorry. I said I'd update this weekend but it's technically Monday now so... I failed to fulfill my promise. I feel horrible T_T**

 **Anyway, it's past twelve on my clock so it couldn't be that far off right? So without further ado, here is the ninth chapter!**

* * *

There were many things Aoyama Mio didn't understand.

Why the man named Katsuragi Keima confessed to her,

Why he tried so hard for her,

Why he made her fall in love with him.

But the mystery of these things paled in comparison to that of the words she was hearing right now.

 _"… I don't love you. I never did."_

Mio stood in front of Keima, completely frozen. She internally shook her head so as to clear her thoughts. Perhaps she just misheard him. With all the things she had been experiencing up until that moment, a simple error in hearing shouldn't be so far-fetched. That's right, he definitely said something else. Who knows, he could have just re-professed his undying love for her and she just failed to comprehend it.

She looked up and saw his face. He was gritting his teeth and his eyes twitched randomly. It looked as if tears were threatening to escape his eyes any moment. Mio was puzzled by his expression. Plastered on his face was a look that seemed to be that of guilt.

So she heard him right, after all.

He doesn't love her? All of those meetings, confessions, memories, they were all just lies? Internally shaking her head once more, Mio desperately tried to negate the possibility of what the man in front of him said. Maybe he was just messing around. According to Yui, Keima was a master of words. It was possible that he's just manipulating her into thinking something else so as to set up a perfect opportunity for something.

With that thought in mind, Mio decided to wait. It was coming anytime now. That moment he tells her that what he recently said was not true and instead, he loves her more than anything else. Seconds passed, and nothing came. Keima sure is taking his time. He should just ask her out right now and be done with it. Mio's patience was starting to waver.

But nothing happened.

Reality was starting to return to the blonde-haired girl. She was fighting a battle of believing his words. And it was a battle she **could not win**. Mio cringed. Her? The prestigious daughter of the great Aoyama family? Lose? The idea was as absurd as it sounds. Mio could swear that she would burst into laughter any moment now. But as soon as she opened her mouth to say something, she felt something warm roll down from her eyes to her chin. Who was she trying to beat anyway? And more importantly, what's the point? By now, everyone, including herself, can tell that Keima was telling the truth and he had nothing planned.

Mio held one finger to her cheek and it immediately became damp. Somewhere along the internal conflicts she waged, she unconsciously started crying. Her chest was as heavy as a boulder and her breathing became impaired. Through her blurred vision, she could faintly see the bespectacled gamer take notice of her weeping.

"K-Katsu… ragi…"

She started saying in between gasps.

"Y- you… you are joking… right?"

A pitiful question. She had already lost. What was the point? However, her thoughts were stopped when Keima began his reply.

"… no… I never had any feelings for you."

Stop.

"All this time, I was nothing but a worthless liar. "

She doesn't need to hear it.

"All the things we did, times we shared, they were all meaningless. I've done nothing bu-"

"JUST QUIT IT, WILL YOU!?"

Mio finally put her thoughts into words. Before Keima could do anything however, she started to run away. Not minding the pain her feet were experiencing because of her high heels, she brushed past the gamer. She was experiencing something even more painful that her body seemed to have numbed. The girl continued to run even well after Keima's presence disappeared.

* * *

She ran and ran.

But where was she headed?

A full stop came a few moments later and Mio herself weeping her eyes out in the middle of the school's track and field area, bathed in the light of the moon. The wind has quieted down considerably, leaving her soft sniffles as the only sounds that filled the large space.

He doesn't love her and he never did. He was playing with her all this time and she bought it. A fool is what she thought of herself at that moment and it seemed like an understatement. Her first love had ended just like that, and by the hands of a heartless jerk, no less. It all seemed to have been making sense all along. The rumors about him and Kanon, him dancing with a plethora of girls, she should have seen it coming.

What was she supposed to do now though? Nothing realistic seemed to come to mind. If that oh-so-convenient Katsuragi-only-amnesia could return, then she'd gladly welcome it.

As Mio stood there in complete silence, she heard footsteps from behind. Her brain was telling her to turn around, but what for? Could it be Katsuragi? If so, then why would he be there? What could they possibly gain from any further conversations? If it were some other people, then they could probably see in its full glory the pitiful state she was in. Mio let out a small snicker. Frankly, she could care less about other people now. The footsteps stopped when it seemed like the cause was directly behind her.

"So I see he told you… then, welcome to the club, Aoyama-san."

A small and familiar voice said. Mio turned around and her eyes widened in surprise upon seeing two people she knew behind her.

"Kujou-san…? Yui…? What… w-what are you doing here?"

Mio wiped the leftover tears in her face before she asked her two classmates, to which Yui answered.

"Huh… we came to check on you, silly. And like Tsukiyo said, to… uh… welcome you to our little group?"

The twintailed blonde raised an eyebrow in confusion. Before she could ask what they were talking about however, Tsukiyo began speaking again.

"Was your Goddess brought out…?"

The doll-carrying blonde asked, earning a look of complete puzzlement from the slightly taller blonde.

"Goddess? Club? Group? What on earth are you two talking about?"

The Astronomy Club's president blinked a few times before signaling for Yui to take over with a soft artificial cough. Taking her cue, the drummer started to scratch the back of her head as she looked at her childhood friend.

"Oh dear… it seems Keima-kun failed to conquer you Mio! Well, congrats for that achievement."

Conquer? Mio had completely lost it.

"Err… let me explain. Both me and Yui also had… encounters with Keima."

Tsukiyo started. She instantly returned to speaking the moment she sensed Mio's urge to ask yet another redundant question.

"He made us fall in love with him too… along with around a dozen other girls."

Mio couldn't believe what she had just heard. For the second time in a row, she learned something new about Keima. Her blood began to boil at the thought that she had just been womanized along with her classmates. And to top it off, he even had the nerve to act guilty while he broke her heart. She began gritting her teeth as her body started shaking. Mio was angry. But she was mostly anger at herself for being so vulnerable.

Tsukiyo and Yui sighed. If only Mio knew the third important thing about Keima.

"Hey Mio… do you know why he did that to us?"

Yui asked suddenly, snapping Mio back to her senses. Asking her friend what she meant, Yui exhaled first before breaking the news to Mio.

"He had no choice."

Mio was once again left asking for a better explanation. Tsukiyo complied with her classmate's request in a short while.

"The full details haven't been explained to us but here is what we know. Basically, these things called Loose Souls escaped from Hell and entered the hearts of human girls. To get them out, the gap in the heart where they hide must be filled. With love. And after that, well, Hell erases your memory."

Something snapped in Mio. Perhaps her sanity?

Loose Souls? Hell? It didn't make any sense at all. However the part about filling the heart's gap seemed to be slightly realistic. Thinking about it, it was Keima who helped her get over the death of her father and accept the fact that she was no longer wealthy. It also somewhat explained why her "amnesia" only erased memories about him. Although why Morita's face was superimposed on Keima's head remains a mystery.

"Basically put, Keima-kun was chosen by Hell to fill in the gaps in our hearts by making us fall in love with him. He fails, he dies."

Yui simplified the explanation., earning a look of annoyance from the smaller blonde. As the two remained silent, Mio started to gain a better understanding of what they were trying to say. So it was true that Keima was a womanizer, but it was also true that it was something he didn't want to do.

"So that's why he confessed to me months ago… "

The fact that Keima didn't love her truly still stung her but at least she knows that it wasn't something he did for his own pleasure. Her classmates affirmed her statement as soon as a new question popped up in her head.

"But why did he approach me again?"

Yui and Tsukiyo looked at each other before the drummer started walking towards one of the school's buildings. The smaller blonde motioned for Mio to follow them before heading in the same direction as Yui. Upon reaching the glass exterior, the two waited for the twintailed girl to reach them.

Mio's eyes widened as she examined the glass to which Yui pointed to. In place of their reflections was a sight that shook Mio's perception of reality. Instead of a copy of themselves, Tsukiyo's reflection had orange hair and closed eyes while Yui's had blonde hair and differently colored pupils. But what shocked her most was the presence of halos and wings on her classmate's reflections.

"Meet our Goddesses… Vulcan and Mars."

Yui introduced the two heavenly beings to her friend.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait! Goddesses? Vulcan? Mars? I don't understand a thing!"

Mio quickly interjected. Yui looked at Tsukiyo knowingly, causing the doll-carrying girl to let out a sigh before turning her gaze towards Mio.

"Goddesses are heavenly beings, I'm sure you already know that. But what you're not aware of is that they draw their power from… the love of their hosts, which are us. They lay dormant in our bodies until we feel enough love. Courtesy of Keima."

"Oh and if you have a Goddess, the effects of _New_ Hell's memory erasing is negated. Neat, huh?"

Tsukiyo and Yui explained. So Keima was also the one in charge of reawakening these Goddesses. By now, Mio could piece together everything she had just learned. She could figure out the reason why Keima confessed to her, why he tried so hard for her, and why he made her fall in love with him. First was because she had one of those soul things from Hell that inhabited her gapped heart, and the second was because,

"… I'm the host of a Goddess too?"

Mio's classmates affirmed her question with a nod. So Keima failed to reawaken her Goddess. Was it connected to the guilty expression he held earlier? Nonetheless, the slow but gradual recovery of her memories was now explained enough.

Tsukiyo called for Mio to step closer to the glass, which the taller-by-a-bird's-breath blonde complied to. She moved forward until she was a few feet in front of the glass and stood there for a while. Her reflection was exactly the same as her appearance. Blonde hair, blue eyes, no change at all. Mio grumbled, of course nothing will change. Everything didn't make sense at all. Why did she even believe all this Goddess business?

Her musings were interrupted however when a flash of orange light enveloped her reflection on the glass's surface. Mio reopened here eyes, and before her was a similarly short girl between the two Goddesses of Yui and Tsukiyo.

However, the similarities stop there. Instead of the blonde hair she possessed, her reflection had silvery white hair and had identically colored pupils in place of Mio's sapphire eyes. But unlike the other two, she possessed neither a halo nor wings, something that was probably because of her conquest being unfinished.

This was her Goddess.

"Ceres-sama… it is good to see you again. It is us, Vulcan and Mars."

The orange haired Goddess spoke up for the first time since her appearance, her words directed towards the reflection of Mio. Ceres slowly opened her eyes to see who called out to her. Examining her surroundings sideways, she saw the other two winged heavenly beings beside her.

"Hm… oh it's you kids. Been a while."

The silver-haired Goddess acknowledged before conversing with her fellow heavenly beings about some "Almage-Machina" that Mio could never hope to understand that moment. The blonde could surely catch a break from the dumbfounded feeling she was experiencing.

Finishing the little chat, Ceres turned towards her host before eyeing her for a while.

"So my host is just a little girl. Well, yours is too, Vulcan."

The Goddess remarked, causing the right eyebrows of the two blondes to twitch at the exact same moment, in perfect synchronization.

"Y-you're a Goddess…?"

Mio instinctively asked.

"Well, one can't tell since I still lack my halo and wings but yeah, I am. What's your name, little girl?"

Ceres asked a question that was immediately answered by her host.

"Aoyama Mio."

"Well, Mio. I don't like being left behind by these kids so I suggest you get on with dating that Katsuragi fellow. I feel suffocated in here."

A small blush appeared on Mio's face at the mentioning of Keima. He may have hurt her badly but she still held feelings for him.

"H-how do you…"

Mio started stuttering in her speech, earning an amused grin from her Goddess.

"Know? Oh, please. I can see through your memories."

And with that, Ceres disappeared in an orange flash of light, returning Mio's reflection back into her own image.

"I suppose we can go now too."

Mars suggested to her sister before they both disappeared in the same manner Ceres did. Now back to being by themselves again, the three girls from Class 2-A stared at each other for a while, before Tsukiyo decided to break the silence.

"I'll be off now."

The other two Goddess Hosts took a few seconds to process what Vulcan's host said. Yui answered with a simple "Good Night" as she, alongside, Mio, watched the doll-wielder walk away gracefully. Hearing another batch of footsteps, Yui turned to her side to see Mio walking away as well. Asking the blonde where she was going, the drummer started walking towards her friend, easily catching up to her because of her choice in footwear.

"Going home... I got nothing to do here anymore."

Mio answered without facing her friend.

"Well then, I'll accompany you! At least until the gate."

It's been a very long night for Mio. She completely regained her memories, realized she loves Keima, and then found out that he never loved her at all. But beneath all that, she also learned about the existence of Goddesses. To say that she was tired would be selling her experiences short. Secretly, she was glad that Yui asked to accompany her. But like always, things like that were in Mio's list of stuff she wouldn't admit.

"Sure."

* * *

 ***knock**knock**knock***

"Nii-sama… please open the door…"

Eri continued to alternate between knocking on her brother's door and calling out to his name, both actions ignored by said brother. The former demon had just finished separated from her bandmates at the dance and she immediately saw the sight of his brother running away. Her brother was running away. He had promised to finish the conquest but he was instead rushing back to the direction of their home.

Just what had happened?

A few more knocks later and Keima still remained silent. It's been that way ever since Eri managed to catch up with him. Did he fail the conquest? Why? It was unreal to think that _the_ God of Conquests would fail to conquer a target.

Seeing as her efforts to catch his brother's attention was in vain, Eri decided to leave him alone for the time being. The former demon proceeded to leave the front of her brother's room and descended down to the living room.

On the other side of the door, time seemingly became frozen as Keima let it pass by without any resistance at all. He lay down head first onto his bed, shutting off every last one of his senses towards the outside world, his glasses rested just beside him. The continuous knocking at the door which had just recently stopped, the chilling evening air, the fatigue from running, all of these Keima paid no mind. His thoughts were in complete disarray.

Why did he break down like that? Why did he blow up the conquest? Why did he hesitate and ultimately fail? Normally, such thoughts were beyond absurd for him. Never before did he have any problem conquering girls. He always saw to it that the whole process flowed to the ending smoothly. The consequences never mattered.

The only reason he accepted the task of reawakening the seventh Goddess was because he wanted to make it up to Diana. He was going to start actually doing some things for the people he hurt. But what had happened? He only ended up hurting yet another girl. Was that the only thing he can ever do? Giving people misery?

Keima prompted himself to continue being lost in thoughts that he didn't notice his window opening suddenly. The harsh cold wind instantly entered the room, along with a slender figure lightly landing on the floor. The figure seemed to be carrying something that glimmered in the moonlight that peeked through the open window.

"Hey, Katsuragi, what's up?"

The figure spoke in a very familiar voice. Should he check who it was? Or not? After a few seconds of debating, Keima decided to find out who it was. Although judging from the female voice and the method of entrance, he can already tell who it was. Keima slowly pushed his body up from his bed and turned his head before donning his glasses, immediately catching his attention was the long purple hair swaying in the wind and the large familiar scythe.

Enter Haqua du lot Herminium.

"Man, what's with the dark atmosphere? I take a break from New Hell work and this is what I find?"

Being uninformed about the entire Ceres ordeal, the district chief had no idea about what the gamer in front of her was going through. Keima could only stare at her in complete bewilderment as she thoroughly examined his appearance. She asked him whether or not h attended a party after she noticed his tuxedo, and then complained about not being invited. Keima could feel a miniscule smile appear on his being as he watched the three hundred year old devil behave like a child.

"Eek! D-don't touch me, pervert!"

Haqua slapped Keima's approaching hand, scrambling off with a red face. The gamer absent mindedly examined his sore hand, mentally questioning himself what he had just been unconsciously doing. A small laugh escaped from his mouth, confusing the purple-haired demon. Just now, her antics reminded him of Mio.

"Haqua, have I ever done something good for you?"

The demon's ears perked up at the sudden question, before flushing red upon further analyzing the gamer's inquiry. Flailing her arms wildly, Haqua angrily asked Keima what he was trying to do, causing him to reply with a casual "I just want to know."

Haqua went to thinking for a legitimate answer, seeing as Keima's question was serious. Thinking about the things they did together, one could say that the bespectacled gamer didn't really do anything grand for her. However, thinking back a little more, the she-devil recalled the little things they did together. The house visit, the date, the temporary partnership, if Haqua were to put into words what he did for her, it would be,

"Being yourself, I guess…"

Keima could cringe at the clichéd answer she had just given but he decided to let it slide. Confused as he was, he didn't have the energy to further question her about the response she had. No, it was more like he was too feeling down to engage in an argument with the fiery demon.

Nonetheless, there was some truth in her words. Keima himself could not recall going ever out of his way to do something meaningful for the scythe-wielding demon. So when she said that being his self was something meaningful for her, he can somehow relate to her words. Keima can pretty much tell that Haqua in a way enjoyed the times she spent with him, although he wouldn't call it liking him. If anything, he can accept her as a very good friend. There was no way she'd like him. Right?

Thinking back, it was probably the same for his relationship with Mio. At first, her conquest was a gigantic pain, both figuratively and literally. But without his consent, he slowly started to enjoy the time he shared with the blonde girl. He witnessed firsthand the developments to her character. He watched as Mio changed from a haughty self-centered girl into a more thoughtful and honest individual. It was almost as if she was a game heroine and she unknowingly made Keima feel like the God of Conquests that he was. But unlike his heroines, he started to see her as someone important, rather than just a simple target.

Perhaps the reason Keima couldn't bring himself to finish the conquest was because he didn't want a girl, no, he didn't want _her_ to further believe in his false love. But what does he do now? The conquest is through no matter how he looked at it, and Mio probably despises him now. Of course she would. He lied to her since day one and then threw her face first onto the ground.

Keima looked up to see Haqua looking at him with a concerned look. How long had he been in a daze? Fixing his eyewear, the brown-haired gamer looked the female demon in the eyes and muttered a soft but audible "Thank you", earning a blush from said female.

"W-What are you thanking me for, you idiot!?"

Haqua replied in trademark tsundere fashion, once again reminding Keima of Mio. Before the conversation could progress any further however, their attention were shifted towards the room's door from where a string of knocks emerged.

"Nii-sama… who's that with you? I heard a voice that isn't yours…"

Eri said from the other side of the wooden door, causing Haqua to panic in a very silent manner, earning a look of quiet amusement from Keima. He flashed her a look that she understood as "stay quiet at all costs" and she responded with a nod.

"No one's here. That voice was from my game."

Eri heard her brother say, causing her to let out a relieved sigh. So her brother was somehow still himself. No matter how much the voice sounded like Haqua, she opted to believe her brother's words. Forming a smile on her face, she knocked once more to call for her brother's attention.

"Okay, Nii-sama. There's food on the table. Please eat first before sleeping, okay?"

Keima smiled, and so did Haqua. The God of Conquests mentally slapped himself for making his sister worry like for him.

"Eri… Thank you. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

He reassured her with a soft voice. Keima observed the shadows from beneath the door shuffle a bit before moving away, along with the sounds of Eri's footsteps.

What he's doing right now was really foolish, isn't it? What was he thinking, being depressed? Will that make it up to Mio and the other girls? Standing up, he heard Haqua say something about his sister being a very loving sibling, something he did not argue with.

"Oh well, I better be going now…"

Haqua said as she stood up herself. She fixed her clothes and dusted herself before picking up her scythe. The she-devil then made her way towards the still open window, but before flying off, she turned again to face Keima.

"Hey, take it easy, all right?"

She said with a heartfelt smile, even causing Keima to slightly become flustered because of her actions. With some minor stuttering, he managed to reply affirmatively. Haqua flashed him one final smile before exiting the window and flying away. Not much later, the gamer made his way towards the window and managed to see a miniscule black silhouette of Haqua for a few seconds.

He gazed at the full moon, making him wonder if Tsukiyo was doing the same, and if Shiori was with her. Steering his vision a little further, he saw the lights at Tenri's house still lit. Was his best friend practicing new magic tricks? He began thinking about the other girls, with the faint sound of one of Kanon's new songs, "I will walk on", being played on another neighbor's radio accompanying his silent musings. Those girls were strong. More or less, they managed to move on despite all the pain he put them through.

Was he the only one left refusing to move on?

Mio might not have yet, but she will. She's a strong girl as well, perhaps the strongest one he knew. She took the pain of her father's death head-on and didn't fall apart. Keima inwardly sighed as he lay down on his bed again, this time his back was against the soft cushion. Shutting off the real and locking himself in the game world is always an option, but it just sounded like running away. He once attempted to do that and it didn't work out the way it was supposed to. Deciding to call it a day, Keima closed his eyes.

But he soon found that impossible.

Every time he'd block his vision with his eyelids, the image of Mio's tear-filled face kept flashing in his mind. Keima felt a thousand needles pierce his heart every time he involuntarily thought of the event that had just transpired. Perhaps burying it in the past will never work out. He's going to have to fix this. But will Mio be understanding enough that she'd talk to the guy who just broke her heart? Keima came up with several ideas but he instantly countered them all, staring blankly at the ceiling while doing so.

At that moment, the gamer was at the most confused state he was ever in.

Just what was he supposed to do now?

* * *

 **Aaaanddd cut.**

 **Again, I encourage you to review should you feel like it. Don't hold back now, okay?  
Also, I thank those who reviewed the story up until now. Of course, I also thank those who faved, followed, and so much as read the story. **

**Now, for the news.**

 **There's a chance I might not be able to update next week. Why? Certain... reasons. No, I won't just watch anime for two weeks straight, I swear! Err... maybe just for a few days...  
** **I'll still be on the site though... just... not writing. Sorry about that. Please bear with me!**

 **Okay?**

 **I'll see you next time.**

 **Kara, out.**

 **...**

 **Oooh, a shiny new anime...**


	10. Chapter 10: The Chosen Decision

**Heya! After almost two weeks, I have returned! Well, I've been doing some stuff over the days. Important stuff. There's _someone_ who knows what I've been doing so uh, yeah. Well, anyways... here's our dose of news: Christmas break! Hoop-lah!**

 **And so I present Chapter 10!**

* * *

Soft grumbles could be heard from even the other sides of the walls of a certain darkened room. The early morning sunlight peeked through the slightly opened window. The six monitors and the countless gaming consoles remain untouched, including a white PFP that rested on the bed. Beside the device was Katsuragi Keima, laying down head-first, his face buried in his pillow.

The boy had no idea what to do now. Even getting up and going to school felt like a huge chore. He simply had no energy to do anything at all after what happened the last night, even gaming. That's something the God of Conquests never thought will happen. Keima saw himself as someone laughable. Why was he brooding like that anyway? If anything, he should be actually thankful. Conquering Mio was now an impossible task so he now had a lifetime's worth of gaming time, no disturbances or whatever. Sure, he may have failed to fulfill his self-made promise to Diana and the Goddesses, but playing his precious galges will surely lift his mind away from the thought. He was a god and things such as what others think never mattered at all.

But right now, that wasn't the case.

Last night, the conquest was supposed to end. Mio's love points were to be maximized and her Goddess would resurface. He needed one more move, but he was unable to make it. Keima rolled over as he recalled what happened next. Why couldn't he do it? More importantly, why did he start this conquest in the first place, knowing that it'll lead to breaking another girl's heart? The sole original reason was to make it up for his shortcomings towards the Goddesses and their hosts, but over the days that passed, he found himself unconsciously looking forward to spending time with the twintailed blonde. The god sighed. Thinking about it, he also felt that way with the other hosts. But with Mio, it felt inexplicably different. Before he could chase the enigma further however, his thoughts were halted by a soft knock on the door, with the voice of his sister quickly following.

"Nii-sama, it's almost time for school… are you still not getting up?"

Eri said from the other side of the locked door. Her question found no response though, as her brother simply stayed silent as he lay unmoving on his bed. Fortunately, he managed to change into his sleepwear some time after Haqua left last night. A few more silent moments and Eri knocked once again on the wooden door.

"Nii-sama! Please get up now… Mother is getting mad!"

Keima felt a little smirk appear on his face. Knowing his sister, it was probably the truth. Still, he found no will to attend school. What for? The conquest is through, and it'll probably just be a cooling-off period for the students because of the dance. Somehow, involving himself with Mio felt like an everyday thing, despite the conquest having lasted only around two weeks. Was it because he put more thought and effort than usual into that particular conquest that it already embedded itself onto the sub-conscious of the God of Conquests? At first thought, it seemed like he really wanted to make it up to the girls. But there was something else. Apparently, he was also suddenly enveloped with sheer willpower to push through the day as soon as forceful poundings slammed on his door.

"Katsuragi Keima! Open this door this instant!"

* * *

The Katsuragi siblings managed to make their way into the class without bumping into Mio at all, something Keima was grateful for. He'd probably just break down again in front of her. Their classmates, namely Ayumi and Chihiro, immediately noticed the sorry state the older Katsuragi was in but the duo was able to hold back their questions, for now. Keima plopped down on his seat as soon as he reached it, having brushed past the worried gazes from the 2-B Pencils minus Yui. Heavy eye bags were clearly visible on his face and his eyes were blank. His hair was unkempt, even more so than usual.

One could say he wasn't being himself that day. In an extremely rare occasion, he never touched his PFP throughout classes and his head was instead slumped down on the table, both his arms stretched out-front, his hands dangling on the table's edge. Curious glances made their way towards him from time to time, but nobody really asked or inquired about it.

And so for the first time, classes passed without a teacher berating Keima. The students of Class 2-B couldn't believe what they had just experienced. Some questions were even about if he was really Keima at all, while some were about how the classroom's atmosphere was completely different and felt weird without a gaming Katsuragi. Unluckily for a certain former-demon, she had to answer all questions regarding what was happening with her brother. Things stayed like that until classes ended and Eri could use a break.

* * *

Keima was sitting alone on his rooftop bench. His sister was in band practice and he agreed to wait for her and her band mates to finish so that she could go home with him. The weather was also favorable for hanging out in the place, not too hot or too cold, perfect for gaming. Except, he wasn't. The God of Conquests sat there, his head down. Despite telling himself that the thought was laughable at best, he just didn't feel like playing his games at all.

What should he do now? Apologize to Mio? And then what? Carry on as if nothing happened? To come up with more scheming and manipulations? No. He was tired of that. Breaking hearts, misleading girls, were they what most accurately described him? A heartless and deceiving jerk?

"I'm the worst."

He once again muttered, in a completely similar manner as he did back in the Mai-High Festival.

"Yes, you are indeed the worst."

Came the soft reply. The voice held a slight tone of pride in it, as if taking pity on the self-proclaimed worst. Keima, in his deep thought trance, didn't even notice that a conversation in which he was involved in has started.

"Making girls fall in love with me, breaking their hearts, manipulating them… it's as if they're all I can do. More of this and I wouldn't even feel remorse anymore. Heh, I really am worthless."

*whack!*

Instead of another reply from the unknown person, Keima found himself inflicted with a very familiar type of physical pain. Nonetheless, pain is pain and after more rounds of it, his back was against a wall and he was ungracefully slumped down on the floor. The sun was directly behind his assailant, causing him to only a see a silhouette. But judging from the figure, he can already tell who _she_ was.

"M-Mio…? W-what are you doing…?"

The currently not-so-godly god asked, completely bewildered with the presence of the Aoyama.

"What can I say? Women like me like horses, haven't I told you that before, commoner?"

Mio replied casually, her death grip on her whip not relenting at all. So much for the gamer's comfort. Keima gave up expecting for a proper answer so he simply hung his head down and raised on knee up, resting his corresponding arm on it. He stayed silent for a while before he decided to speak.

"I guess you're here to get back at me for what I did, huh?"

He said in a completely monotonous tone. His voice was down however, as if he said something that he knew was true but hoped that it was different. Putting some pieced together will prove that is indeed the case though. Mio however, was undeterred. The proud blonde retained her devious smile even after the gamer's statement.

"Maybe."

The twintailed Aoyama replied in a rather vague manner, which did not really help the boy in front of her at all. Said boy let out an of-course sigh. Did he really just hope for something else? Why? Seeing the eerily smiling girl in front of him, it came off as a huge wonder to the gamer as to how she could perform such a gesture. He has always known that she was a strong girl, and that no matter how much he says it, that parameter will always remain the same. She already went through the pain of losing a beloved one and she managed to remain firm, even before he started helping her. But being able to quickly recover, but not technically move on, from a rejection that had just occurred _the last night_ , perhaps she was a lot stronger than he originally witnessed.

Completely unlike him.

He wasn't even the one who got rejected harshly and yet he was the one moping around. Is he really that weak? No, it wasn't exactly a weakness. Getting depressed and feeling sincere regret over breaking other people's hearts were more of acts that showed that he cared for them. But this time it was different. He chose to do what he did, no, failed to do. Does he even have the right to be guilty? He looked up and saw Mio still standing there holding her whip, but she now held a serious look on her face, as if expecting a couple of words from him.

"I only did what I ought to do in the past, but what I did to you was completely of my own accord. I chose to follow the route that will inevitably break your heart. Now I don't know what to do. No matter how you look at it, it's all my faul-"

*whack!*

Maybe Keima would have been able to finish his miserable speech if it wasn't for a certain twintailed blonde getting fed up with his self-pity, resulting in her whipping the living daylights out of him. The gamer scrambled on the floor as he nursed the spot Mio hit with her whip, before turning his line of vision towards the now ticked Aoyama.

"What was that for!?"

Keima yelled out, but the blonde was unfazed. She closed her eyes and inhaled a moderate amount of air. It took five seconds flat for Keima to realize that all New Hell was about to break loose.

"What was that for!? Why don't you ask yourself what was that for!? Feeling all self-important, drowning yourself in all your self-made misery! Why don't you take into consideration what I feel? What the others feel? Sure, it's your fault but you aren't the only one affected by what happened!"

"That's not…!" Keima tried to intervene but Mio wouldn't let him.

"Oh no you don't! You do not have a say in this anymore! What I see in front of me is a coward! You don't know what to do!? I think not! You're just afraid to do something! Let me ask you something, why did you attempt to _re-conquer_ me? I can hardly believe that you wanted to awaken my Goddess just because you wanted to!"

He tried to answer her question but as soon as he opened his mouth, Mio cut him off once more.

"You know what? I don't care about your answer! I'll just tell you a few things and hope that your commoner brain can process them! Feeling guilty!? Then why don't you try better in making it up to the people you wronged!? Starting with the other girls you hurt! Think about what we feel, you jerk! You didn't _make_ us fall for you! The only thing _you did_ was help us come to a decision! **We were the ones who** ** _chose_** **to fall in love with you!** **_I_** **chose to fall love with a commoner like you!** "

Keima was stunned. For the second time in his life as a second-year high school student, he was utterly defeated in a battle of words. Only this time, he was completely helpless. All his bodily functions ceased to work as his mouth was left agape from the verbal beat down he just received. He could only watch as the twintailed blonde stormed off the rooftop with a huff, even comically almost tripping because of her footwear. She growled before fixing her posture and walking towards the stairs rather gracefully, but before she disappeared from the sight of the boy she had nagged to petrifaction, her hair glowed silver for a split second. An occurrence Keima brushed off as a trick of the light. Oh, was he ever wrong.

Several minutes passed before Keima managed to get a hold of his self. He had once again lost in a verbal battle. The gamer let out a stressed snicker. It was very similar to the one he had with Chihiro and yet so different. Nevertheless, her words held much meaning. Without a doubt, he tried to reawaken Ceres for the sake of the other Goddesses. Only near the end did it dawn upon him that he'll just add her to the little rejected club of the other hosts. He had completely neglected to consider her feelings and only cared about removing the guilt he was feeling. His focus was ironically out of focus and it was a grave mistake. Making it up to someone. It was what he wanted to do since the beginning of the entire Ceres ordeal but only now did he realize that someone was himself.

Who would've known that the God of Conquests would be lectured by a real girl? And by the one he failed to conquer, no less! But Keima felt no shame or embarrassment. In fact, he was actually feeling some sort of enlightenment. Never before did his mind feel as clear as it was that moment, even when playing his games. Now it was all clear. He was a worthless jerk, but not necessarily the worst. Only thinking about himself, but he still cared. They were his friends after all, even though that fact was something he'd never admit. Keima snickered. Now he was sounding like Mio. But it was the truth after all. In fact, Tenri was the only one to whom Keima openly admitted that the girls were his friends, and through a letter at that, with Ayumi being shown that part. Despite all the "I screwed up" and "What was I doing?" mumblings, one thing's for certain: Keima now knows what he wants to do and that is to make it up to the girls. Only this time, it's not a cover for removing his guilt.

"What a fiery girl, ne?"

Keima was bought out of his musings by yet another different but still familiar voice. Raising his lowered head, his eyes quickly saw the sight of Chihiro, also slumped down on the floor and sitting next to him. The sudden appearance of his classmate startled the great Otoshigami but he was able to maintain his cool, and sitting position. Wasn't she supposed to have band practice with Eri and the others? How long had she been there and how did she manage to sneak up on him? A minute later and Keima dismissed those thoughts as non-essential and only singled out one concern. Did she see what happened earlier with Mio?

Upon noticing the gamer's reaction, Chihiro turned her head sideways to face the bespectacled boy and smile at him toothily while waving one of her hands slightly. Seeing as he didn't show any intent to answer or even respond, the vocalist returned to gazing at the afternoon sky.

"You really are something, Katsuragi. To think that you'd know Aoyama Mio… and she even fell in love with you! Really something…"

She saw.

Chihiro spoke without facing Keima, disabling her from seeing what face he was currently making. Yet again, he didn't speak so she, as the polite lady she thinks of herself, continued to keep the currently one-sided conversation alive.

"How about you? How do you feel about her?"

Keima almost jumped up from the ground at the sudden question. His glasses almost fell from his face as he perked up. Chihiro tried to hold in a laugh but it eventually fell in vain, much to the ire of the flustered God of Conquests.

"N-nothing! W-why would I feel anything!?"

He denied in a very unusual manner. Katsuragi Keima has lost his cool. Chihiro took a mental picture of the rare occasion. Noticing that further words from the Otamega weren't coming any time soon, the band leader decided to take matters into her own hands. Basically, she elected to chatter his ears out.

"Now that I think about it, I _have_ been hearing rumors about you and Aoyama. But mostly, I never thought they were true because, ya know, they're just rumors and all… plus all those rumors about you and Kanon are still flying arou-"

"Chihiro."

The girl called out was interrupted when her name was suddenly said by the boy beside her. Now, why did he just call her? Is he finally going to engage in the conversation? Or is he just annoyed by the noise pollution she was emitting. Nevertheless, the band leader stopped talking and leaned her head closer towards Keima. She already had trouble hearing his call after all. It took a while of silence before the gamer decided to continue.

"I'm sorry, for everything. I'm sorry for deceiving you back then. And what I said during the festival, I didn't mean it. Not one bit. I just had no cho-"

Keima's ramblings were abruptly stopped when he felt something muffling his mouth, Turning his gaze sideways enabled him to see Chihiro roughly covering his mouth with one of her hands while wearing a bored expression on her face. The nerve of this real girl. He was pouring out his emotions in a "heartfelt apology" and she had the gall to be bored? The God of Conquests sighed. This is why the real is inferior and will always be. He however, was inwardly smiling. This was just how the girl acted.

"Oh, quit it with that already. Is this your attempt on making up to the girls you hurt? Well, huh, how lame! And you already used that line on me back then."

The gamer didn't budge. Indeed he had used similar words before. Back when he had just returned from the past and confessed to Chihiro. It was during their "tea date". They were full-blown awkward and all of a sudden, he started apologizing for the events that happened at the Mai-High Festival. But Chihiro knew all too well that this was different. There was more emotion and a sense of a true apology, rather than that of guilt.

"Speaking of making up to us, what exactly are you gonna do?"

Chihiro asked, still watching the clouds float past. The only response she received however, were inaudible grumblings from the gamer's side.

"What didja say?"

"Phwy fed, fyou're fwill cofferingf mphy mhouff!"

When she heard the muffled answer of Keima, Chihiro turned and immediately discovered that she was still absent-mindedly covering his mouth. Immediately withdrawing her hand, she gave a sheepish apology to the annoyed Otamegane. She heard more grumbling from him again but elected to ignore those. She definitely had no need to know what he said that moment.

And they sat there in awkward silence. It was a miracle that Keima didn't bring out his PFP and started playing, much to the band leader's relief.

"Honestly, I don't know what to do."

Surprisingly, Keima decided to break the silence. Chihiro blinked a few times at his unusual act before fixing her throat with a self-induced cough.

"Really? Wow. Just wow."

Chihiro replied with a snicker, causing a tick mark to appear on the gamer's head. But despite the joking nature of her reply, she knew he was serious. Seeing as he had an expression that really looked like he wants to do something but is stuck. Katsuragi? The genius top-student was stuck? It almost seemed unrealistic. Almost. In fact, it was actually kind of down to earth. She can tell he hasn't encountered a situation like this in his games before.

"Well for starters, why don't you just, uh… do what your heart tells you to do? … …jeez, how cliché… My point is, just do what you feel like is right. No need for extravagant operations, ne?"

During the statement, Chihiro's expressions changed from all-knowing, to embarrassed and then to reassuring.

Keima was, in a sense, blinded. She gave such a simple advice and yet it felt so bright. Despite being the god he claimed he was, he was completely at a loss on what to do. And there she goes, being her normal average self. He chuckled a little. Why didn't he think of this before? In fact, was there even anything to think about in the first place? In a short while, the God of Conquests stood up and fixed his glasses in trademark fashion, seemingly back to his self.

"I see. Then, how do I make it up to you?"

He suddenly asked, startling the vocalist as her face went up a few degrees.

"H-huh? Nothing! What are you asking me!? Moron. No one can answer that except you!"

Keima chuckled once more. There really are a lot of tsunderes in the world. He looked up at the sky as Chihiro stood up and watched the clouds with him. And they were smiling.

"Thank you, Chihiro. I know what to do now."

And with that, Keima smiled at her once before making his way towards the rooftop's exit. But before he could take the first step downstairs, he heard his name being called out from behind, which suddenly transformed to Otamega. Letting it slide, he turned his head sideways to see a blushing Chihiro cupping her hands in front of her mouth as a makeshift megaphone. A few seconds later and she shouted out something.

"Katsuragi..! I… I-I loved you, ya know!?"

The only thing Chihiro saw Keima do was smile at her before turning away again.

"I know. I loved you too."

He muttered under his breath. The world seemed to be on Chihiro's side as the wind and everything else quieted down and seemingly went into a pause, allowing her to hear what he said in reply. In the seconds that followed, the sounds of footsteps climbing down the stairs filled the air as the world resumed its functions.

Chihiro stood there alone, the wind blowing past her and lifting her short brown hair. She had a smile plastered on her now un-flustered face. A large weight has been lifted from her chest as she told him she loved him, in past tense. Better to tell him that now than neglect to do so and regret it forever. After all, living in regret is basically wasting your life and that would be lame.

One should always live life to the fullest.

And as for Kosaka Chihiro, who knows what life has in store. She can only live it.

* * *

 **So, how was it? I hope it's enough to compensate for taking a while. Is it shorter? Definitely. But is it good? I'll leave that for you guys to decide. I hope to hear from you soon!**

 **Thank you for the reviews and all the other stuff; really helpful. I mean, really. Wish I could say more but I really couldn't. I'm just that bad, hehe.**

 **Well, that's that! See ya soon! Real soon! Happy Holidays!**

 **Kara, out.**


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